The NBA regular season is coming to an end, and in the final regular season, the NBA awards have been roughly selected. Everyone has their own answer to who is the most improved player in the league this season, and today we are going to talk about a potential rising star and the most surprising player this season, Cam Thomas from the Nets, known as Thomas the Engine.
With Durant's departure last season and injuries to other star players, the Brooklyn Nets are currently leaderless. The biggest stars on the team are Bridges and Simmons, and with Simmons out for the season, the Nets are almost in a rebuilding mode. He also missed the playoffs early, but this season, with the rise of Thomas, seems to have given the team a new hope.
This season, Thomas has reached a new turning point in his career, he played in 54 regular season games with the Nets this season, averaging 21.5 points + 3.1 rebounds + 2.7 assists per game, and is the team's leading scorer. It is worth noting that last season, Thomas Jr. averaged 10.6 points + 1.7 rebounds + 1.4 assists per game, ranking 162nd in the league in points per game, and his average playing time per game was the least in the same scoring period, and this season his playing time has also reached a career high.
Thomas currently ranks 32nd in the league in points per game this season, ahead of Butler. From 162nd last season to 32nd in the league this season, Thomas Jr. has improved rapidly and still has a good chance of winning the Most Improved Player of the Year award. With just a health requirement and a full 65 regular-season games, Thomas Jr. could still win the Most Improved Season award even if the Nets don't have a good record. and became the first player in Nets history to win this award.
It's worth noting that Thomas Jr.'s contract this season is only $2.24 million, and if he wins the award this year, Thomas Jr. will have the opportunity to renew his contract with the team this summer, but only if Thomas Jr. becomes the team's founding core. If it becomes the core of the team, then it will be calculated according to the current market conditions and the salary of the contract. Then Toth Jr. will likely complete a big contract with the team, and the salary of this contract is about 150 million for five years. Because in this era of big contracts, it is common to average 20 points per game and win 30 million contracts.
What's more, Thomas Jr. is a potential rookie with American and Japanese citizenship, while Nets owner Joe Tsai is an Asian owner himself, and he has spent the past few years trying to turn the Nets into the most popular team in Asia. If he can renew his contract with Thomas Jr., he will not only win the popularity of Japanese fans, but also win some attention in the Asian market. In addition, Thomas, who is only 22 years old this year, has not yet entered his prime, although there are still some shortcomings in defense, but there is still a chance to develop into a top defender in the league.