Nets plan to keep ‘challenging’ Cam Thomas to be more than a scorer

Apparently angry Cam Thomas is the best Cam Thomas.

The stoic young guard has been criticized in the past for his indifferent defense and lack of passing. But there he was Sunday getting physical, even chippy. He was rebounding, playmaking and leading — both with his words and his energy.

This is the Thomas the Nets are going to need.

“Sometimes when teams go on runs we get down,” Thomas said. “I just wanted to step out of my comfort zone to get the team fired up and just lead by example. And [Sunday] a little more talk, so we don’t go into another hole.

“So I just want to step out of my comfort zone and just lead the guys and it was a good thing I did.”

The Nets will want him to get comfortable outside his comfort zone.

Thomas had 29 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range in Sunday’s 120-101 rout in Cleveland, but more auspicious long term were his seven rebounds, five assists and physical play.

The Nets fed off that fired-up version to rout the Cavaliers, and will need it Wednesday in Orlando, and going forward.

Thomas is under contract for next season at $4 million, and even if it makes sense for Brooklyn to wait on an extension until the summer of 2025, the young guard can either push their hand or increase his value.

It’s no coincidence Thomas was a plus-27 on Sunday in Cleveland, his season-high and second-best of his career. This was the game the Nets have been trying to pry out of him.

And not just his coaches, from Steve Nash to Jacque Vaughn to interim coach Kevin Ollie. But his teammates, as well.

“Yeah, we challenged him about the EGBs [energy-generating behaviors, like rebounding]. He had seven rebounds, five assists. So it wasn’t all his scoring,” Ollie said. “He was contributing in other ways, and that’s great to see. I want him to keep that up. We’re gonna keep challenging him. We want him to be a masterpiece on the offensive end and a masterpiece on a defensive end. And he can do it. But we’ve got to keep challenging [him].

“And it’s not coming from our coaching staff: It’s our players challenging him to be that special, because we know what a talent he is. And we’ve got to continue to harness that, continue to have his masterpiece come out. But he displayed it all [Sunday]. Got hurt a little bit and banged his knee, and I was going to take him out, and then he hit two 3s, I’m like, ‘Nah, you’re all right, stay in.’ But his toughness, his resiliency, bouncing back and get back on the court, it means the world to us.”

That toughness got shown in him playing through the sore knee, willingly taking contact and putting up.

And after driving into contact by Isaac Okoro with no whistle forthcoming, moments later he grabbed a rebound with three seconds left in the third and raced upcourt for his 37-foot heave to beat the buzzer.

“Yeah, got fouled, as always. … [They] didn’t call it, so I was a little frustrated with that,” Thomas said. “So just a little energy play for me to get going.”

Or, as Mikal Bridges said succinctly, “CT went CT mode.”

That’s starting to mean something different now, though.

Thomas is no longer just an isolation scorer and unwilling passer.

With defenders sagging off him into the paint, Thomas has probed the paint and found teammates, becoming a secondary playmaker for a team that needs one alongside Dennis Schroder.

Averaging just 1.7 career assists, Thomas has averaged 3.8 over his past 13 games.

And Sunday he passed up a layup in the opening possession to find Bridges for an open 20-footer to set the tone.

“When I’m in the lineup, I’m more of the creator kind of. So know to get him more open looks,” Thomas said.

“I credit [Ollie] for trusting me in these situations with the ball, making decisions, playing through injuries … I credit him a lot for that and my teammates for knowing I can make the right play for them.”