Facing the Brooklyn Nets and serving them a 96-120 blowout would be ticklish for Kevin Durant. Except the veteran saw history repeat. And it made him empathetic towards one young talent in Brooklyn. However, said player, Cam Thomas, was a lot more biting in his response.

The 24-year-old star has already faced extended setbacks in his short career. The latest one stings, though. He was demoted from the starting lineup since his return. He still contributed 21 points off the bench against the Houston Rockets. Yet his displeasure with the downgrade was palpable in the post-game presser.

Thomas’ only response when asked about it was, “No comment.”

It spoke volumes.

It’s not hard to read between the lines in this case. Thomas recovered from a hamstring strain and came off a 20-game hiatus (eight weeks) to lead the Nets to a 123-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 27. He scored 30 points that game, more than anyone expected after a long absence.

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Thomas scored 13 points in the loss to the Golden State Warriors a few days later. They played against the Kevin Durant-led Rockets for their first game of 2026. But he surprisingly stayed out of the starting lineup despite Michael Porter Jr., Egor Demin, and Terance Mann sidelined with injuries. In fact, the team is missing eight players due to injury. And Thomas’ remarkable consistency since his return also makes his demotion surprising.

It’s that time of the season when lineups are reworked, starters get sent to the bench, injuries mount, and frustrations abound. A lot of other teams are facing this pressure now. At such a time, a superstar like Kevin Durant pulling attention to an underrated talent on the opposing team carries weight.

Kevin Durant bats for Cam Thomas’ potential

It feels like a pattern in Brooklyn. They once had Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. But repeated injuries meant these stars didn’t often play together to form a genuine Big 3. All three expressed frustration with off-court drama and the dysfunction in the lineups before trading out of the Nets.

And the Nets’ latest move could drive Cam Thomas away. Especially as Durant stated after the game, “I feel like Cam has a bright future.”

That future isn’t necessarily in Brooklyn.

Durant indirectly addressed the rest of the NBA, urging them to take notice of this young talent.

“It just takes somebody to believe in his talent and his skill,” the Rockets veteran optimistically said of Thomas. “Scorers and guys that score the basketball at a high rate, they get taken for granted in this league a bit.”

It also sounds like a subtle jab to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green when Durant says that defenders and playmakers get more love than scorers. But he made it clear that it’s Thomas he explicitly bats for.

“Hopefully somebody takes a chance on Cam and gives him what he deserves and puts the ball in his hands and builds around him and lets him grow into a player,” Durant concluded.

That team could very well be the Nets if they still value the veteran’s opinion.

Coach Jordi Fernandez has addressed the team’s ‘next man up’ mentality in the past, while acknowledging they’ve “always done a great job” implementing it. He’s yet to shed light on the tactical maneuvering of Thomas’ benching.