Months after moving on from their Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving superteam experiment, the Brooklyn Nets have a young and hungry team that is looking to surprise people.
They hold a decent 4-4 record to start the 2023-24 season, and they have gotten some outstanding play from Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, newcomer Lonnie Walker IV, and even Ben Simmons.
Thomas, in particular, has been on a heater to start the year, averaging 26.9 points a game.
Unfortunately for Brooklyn, he will be out for at least the next two weeks because of an ankle injury, per Bleacher Report.
Cam Thomas will be out at least two weeks with a left ankle injury pic.twitter.com/wALIWI9yEx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 9, 2023
Thomas, a 6-foot-4 guard in his third season out of Louisiana State University, was a decent bench player in his first two seasons, but now that he’s a starter, he has exploded.
He’s a big reason why Brooklyn ranks 11th in scoring, ninth in offensive rating, and third in fast-break points despite not having an established star, let alone a superstar such as Durant or Irving.
He suffered his ankle injury on Wednesday in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers when he stepped on the foot of forward P.J. Tucker.
Without Thomas, the Nets will need others to step up, particularly Walker, who is off to a strong start himself.
In 22.6 minutes, he has been putting up 16.3 points a game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from 3-point range.
They could also use some more scoring from Simmons, who is averaging a career-low 6.5 points a game despite shooting 52.8 percent from the field.
The Nets will head north to take on the 5-2 Boston Celtics on Friday.
NEXT: Nets Veteran Praises Cam Thomas After Impressive Outing
