Nets guard Cam Thomas missed his 24th straight game on Wednesday because of a left hamstring strain, but his lengthy inactive streak could finally be nearing its end — although his exact timeline remains murky.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Brooklyn’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Barclays Center, head coach Jordi Fernandez said Thomas is considered day-to-day and should return in the near future.
“I cannot say the exact day, but he’s done a great job,” Fernandez said. “Obviously getting readjusted to a real game, it doesn’t happen right away, but we’re excited to have him back at some point soon.”
Thomas, who hasn’t appeared in a game for the Nets since Jan. 2, has averaged 24.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists across 19 games this season while shooting 44.8% from the field and 37.5% from deep. He was also sidelined by hamstring issues from Nov. 27 – Dec. 27.
The 23-year-old participated in 5-on-5 drills last week and looked “good”, according to Fernandez. Brooklyn had a 13-25 record without Thomas this season entering Wednesday’s game.
CLAXTON SUSPENDED
Nic Claxton was suspended without pay for Wednesday’s matchup against Oklahoma City after collecting his sixth Flagrant Foul point in Monday’s road loss to the Washington Wizards. His absence left the Nets with one healthy center, Day’Ron Sharpe, against one of the best teams in the league.
“Yeah, next player mentality,” Fernandez said. “Obviously we’re going to miss him and we’re going to miss his size as the anchor of our defense. Obviously Day’Ron has been a reason why we’ve been so good. Both guys combined together, they’ve been great for our defense, coverages, presence.”
Serving as Claxton’s primary backup off the bench, Sharpe had averaged 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over his past 10 games entering Wednesday while shooting 60% from the field — and he’s done that while averaging just 16.4 minutes a night. He got his first start of the season and the 13th of his career against the Thunder.
“And yes, I want to see him increase those minutes,” Fernandez said of Sharpe. “That means he’s pushing Nic and Nic is pushing him. And right now, [since] Nic is out, those minutes are going to be up there for him.”
If Claxton picks up his seventh Flagrant Foul point, he’ll be suspended another game. After that, he’ll serve a two-game suspension for each flagrant.
“We’ve had those conversations, private conversations,” Fernandez said of Claxton. “He held himself accountable and to a really high standard.”
OTHER INJURY UPDATES
Fernadez said D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) and Noah Clowney (left ankle sprain) are expected to return to practice and potentially see game action next week.
Russell has missed three straight games and Clowney has missed 11 straight games.
“They’re around the group and they’ve [brought] great energy when we have them around,” Fernandez said. “We need their presence. And it’s good, because it seems like if everything goes well next week we’ll try to see where they’re at and just try to keep working on that and have them get some contact and have them back on the court.”