“S**t they gotta play me now” – Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant leaving the Nets TERRIFIED teammate Cam Thomas

Cam Thomas has proven that he can be a valuable player for the Brooklyn Nets.

“S**t they gotta play me now” – Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant leaving the Nets TERRIFIED teammate Cam Thomas

From left: Kyrie Irving (L), Cam Thomas(M) and Kevin Durant (R) (Images via Getty Images)

When Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant teamed up to play together with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, everyone expected them to win a championship. The supremely talented duo played three seasons together but rarely shared the court owing to multiple injury problems. After signing Durant’s former OKC teammate James Harden in 2021, the Nets were favorites to win it all. Sadly, the trio of Durant, Irving, and Harden played in only 16 games together, again due to injuries to Durant and Irving.

Eventually, Irving requested a trade out of the organization in 2023 and was signed by the Dallas Mavericks. Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns just three days later. One player who was unaffected by what was happening around him was Nets guard Cam Thomas. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+ points in three consecutive games, all in the midst of Irving’s trade request and subsequent move to the Mavericks.

YouTube video

After the Nets lost Durant as well, Thomas knew that he would have to be ready to step up and play big minutes. He spoke with former NBA player Gilbert Arenas recently and shed light on that period.

FS Video

Arenas told Thomas that sometimes players’ careers don’t get off to the start that they would want but it is important to stay ready whether you are playing or not because you never know when your number could be called. Thomas gave his nod of approval and said, “Had to be, had to be (ready). Because we was transitioning from the super team to like getting those guys out of there because that was when Ky got traded then K got traded like two days after so it was like, we was starting to transition a little bit.“

He continued, “So, I was like s*** I mean they gotta play me now, you know? K ain’t playing, Ky ain’t playing.“

The sad part though is that while Thomas has shown that he can be a terrific offensive player and take over games, he still hasn’t been able to find consistent minutes in the Brooklyn Nets rotation. Now that the team is led by young stars such as Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, one would expect Thomas to definitely play a lot of minutes. He is expected to have a bigger role next season and is focused on keeping himself in shape and getting his body right this offseason.

Read more: Heat star Jimmy Butler eligible to STEP OVER Jaylen Brown’s $304 million worth richest deal in NBA history

Thomas learnt a lot from Durant and Irving during their time together

thomas durant
Thomas and Durant (Image via Getty Images)

Thomas was asked about what he picked up from two of the game’s all-time greats. He said that in his rookie year, Durant always told him to get closer to the hoop and get to the painted area instead of shooting long two-point jumpers. Durant also told him that kids today tend to fall in love with the three-point line considering how the game is played now but it is important to be a bit old school in terms of having the complete package be it the inside-out game, mid-range game, and pull-ups.

With respect to Irving, he acknowledged that Irving was as skillful as anyone he has seen playing the game of basketball and his ability to finish with the left as well as the right hand is what he learnt from the 8-time All-Star. It truly is incredible having NBA champions as mentors so early in your career and Thomas should consider himself lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from two future Hall of Famers.

In case you missed it: