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After Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James’ heated encounter, we have another player-analyst battle. Since it is off season, the current back-and-forth is largely online and once again stemmed from the players not liking what the analyst said. The player in question is Cam Thomas, and the veteran media member is Zach Lowe. The Nets guard is dealing with uncertain times during free agency, and his frustrations also came unglued on social media, with over 9 million views.

Currently, the 23-year-old has received the $5.9 million qualifying offer. But the restricted free agent is reportedly asking for $30 million per season. Based on his career high of 24 points per game last season, one would think that’s a fair offer. However, there is a flaw in his game. A few days ago, Zach Lowe said that the consensus around Cam Thomas’ restricted free agency is that he’s an “empty calories ball hog.” Naturally, the player responded, “The consenus? F— you and the consensus @ZachLowe_NBA .

Let’s also understand that Lowe never made that tweet. On his show a few days ago alongside Nekias Duncan, Lowe spoke at length about the pros and cons of Cam Thomas. But the negatives stood out, and it was re-shared on X by a news aggregator. That tweet garnered more than 6 million views, and one of them was from the Nets guard. And after that encounter, we have Zach Lowe clearing the air, but not changing his stance on the 23-year-old.

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“I will then offer my own opinion, and if Cam Thomas had listened to the subsequent 12 minutes—I don’t think he did, but I don’t know—he would have heard me deep dive into his game and talk about career-high assists. Certain kind of passes that he’s gotten meaningfully better at,” he shared on the latest episode of The Zach Lowe Show, where the 47-year-old also had Rob Mahoney as a guest.

Lowe continued, “I have said consistently for two years of Cam Thomas dialogue that the guy can straight up get buckets, and there is a place for him in the NBA. To me, that place is most likely six-man scoring burst guy, which is what I said in that 12-minute segment.

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USA Today via Reuters

Now, when Lowe says Cam Thomas “can straight up get buckets,” he’s not just blowing smoke. We’re talking about a guy who, even in a season limited to just 25 games in 2024-25, still managed to drop a hefty 24.0 points per night. That’s a serious scoring punch, especially considering he had nearly 33.0% usage rate according to Statmuse, when he was on the floor. Think about it – that’s MVP-level usage, which tells you how much the offense ran through him. Sure, the efficiency isn’t always through the roof for a player who constantly creates his own shot, but his 57.5% true shooting is solid enough for a guy getting that much volume.

Plus, his ability to get to the line, hitting 88.1% of his 6.0 free throw attempts per game, is a testament to his knack for generating easy points. Teams throwing double teams at him, as Cam himself pointed out, isn’t just because he won’t pass; it’s also a huge nod to the fact that they know he can torch them if left unchecked.

And when Lowe talks about Thomas as a “six-man scoring burst guy”? That description honestly fits like a glove. He’s not exactly known for his lockdown defense or being a primary playmaker, despite that career-high 3.8 assists per game last season – a number Mahoney still has questions about, given the context. But throw him into a second unit, and suddenly you’ve got an instant offensive engine. He can come in, light up the scoreboard, and carry the scoring load when the starters are resting or need a lift. That’s the classic sixth-man role, and Thomas’s raw scoring ability absolutely screams that potential.

What’s your perspective on:

Is Cam Thomas worth $30 million, or is he just an 'empty calories ball hog'?

Have an interesting take?

However, not everything’s rainbows and unicorns.

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Cam Thomas’ response gets a brutal check from analyst

After dropping the F bomb on his tweet, the LSU alum had more to say on his tweet. “This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball . Why are we double teaming a guy who’s “not that good” make it make sense please.” And Mahoney used this tweet from Cam Thomas to send a response. As per Mahoney, Thomas is double-teamed because he can’t find the right pass. If it was not enough, the guest on the Zach Lowe Show would go on to quote himself to remove any doubt.

So, $30 million for a 6th man, not necessarily the teams would buy in for that. After all, everybody is targeting to be under the cap space for the 2027 free agent market. But the kicker for Thomas came in from Mahoney, who backed Lowe’s statement. “I also thought Cam kind of cooked himself a little bit by saying like, how could you say this about a guy who gets double-teamed all the time?”

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via Imago

“And I don’t think you’re going to pass the ball. You know what? Aggregate this if you will. I, Rob Mahoney, don’t think that you’re gonna pass the ball, Cam Thomas. I’m sorry. I apologize. I don’t see that part of his game coming along, as, like, I don’t think he’s ever going to be someone who eagerly moves the ball, who eagerly participates in a comprehensive offense.

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So, both media members stayed true to their comments. Despite Thomas’s improved assist numbers last season, Lowe and Mahoney’s core criticism remains his perceived reluctance or inability to consistently facilitate for others. His limited appearances last year also meant fewer opportunities to silence such critiques. His fate is just like other notable restricted free agents like Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, and Quentin Grimes, navigating uncertain waters. It will be interesting to see if his future moves get affected by any analyst’s comments.

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Is Cam Thomas worth $30 million, or is he just an 'empty calories ball hog'?

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