Cam Thomas is balling out once again. Will he finally stay in the Nets’ lineup?

Consider this an open letter to Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn.

Dear Jacque,

Let Cam Thomas cook.

The dude is like Godron Ramsay with a fridge full of fresh ingredients. He’s like a prime Emeril, garnishing his masterpieces with a “Bam.”

You know Cam is special– there’s no way you could have denied it after he became the youngest player ever to score 40-plus points in three straight games, breaking the record set by Allen Iverson.

But you’ve been treating him like SpongeBob in that episode where King Neptune doesn’t believe he can be a royal fry cook.

When Thomas notched his second straight 40-piece after dropping 44 and then 47 last season shortly after the Nets got rid of KD and Kyrie, he joined this list of the youngest players with back-to-back 40s:

LeBron James, Iverson, Durant, Luka Doncic.

Those guys, and Cam Thomas. That’s it. That was the list.

Kyrie who? 👀 pic.twitter.com/0iOCwXjS4s

— Kels Dayton (@KelsDayton) February 7, 2023

Cam did all of that, yet somehow found himself riding the pine for inexplicable stretches last season. The game after scoring 46 in the regular-season finale against the 76ers, Thomas saw four minutes in a 20-point loss. He saw multiple DNP’s after his torrid stretch of near-50-pieces. It was bizarre.

OK, his defense needs improvement (he’s got a rating of 114.8 this season, meaning he allows that many points per 100 possessions– not great). His shot selection could be better. He could operate more within the team system.

But as James Harden (incredibly, non-satirically) would say, Cam Thomas isn’t a system player. Cam Thomas is a system.

In his first three games this season, Thomas scored 36, 30 and 33 points. He shot 61.4 percent from the floor in those games.

Perhaps even more surprisingly, Thomas only took 13 threes, making four of them. He wasn’t even relying on the deep ball– he was creating his own shot and scoring at will.

The dude is the definition of a walking bucket. He’s got a remarkable, innate ability to put the ball in the basket. It’s second nature to him. He just knows how to score, much in the way your cat just knows when you’re on a Zoom meeting.

There had to be nobody more excited when KD and Kyrie bailed on Brooklyn last season than Cam Thomas. He was finally out of the shadow of those two drama-loving losers, and he could finally show the world what he was born to do. There were too many cooks in that kitchen, and that doesn’t work for a chef like Cam.

He did just that right after the trades, playing the thirstiest version of hero ball you’ve ever seen. And he was crushing it.

In fact, pretty much every time Thomas has gotten an opportunity to step up, he’s balled the hell out. You keep putting restraints on him, and he keeps breaking scoring records almost to spite you.

When Thomas didn’t get the start in the season opener, he responded by pouring in 36 points– an NBA record for a reserve in the opening game of the season.

Jacque– come on, man.

Now look, I’m not saying he shouldn’t learn how to play defense, or pass the ball more regularly (he’s averaging just 1.8 assists this season to go along with his 28 points per game). Cam needs to learn those things if he wants to stay on the floor– no arguing that.

What I am saying is that this dude has legend-level scoring ability. It’s uncanny. It’s prodigious. It’s prolific. It’s something you can’t teach. And he’s doing all of this despite not getting consistent minutes. At age 22. In the NBA.

So give him some defensive pointers. Spend some more time with him in the film room. Show him how to play in a system instead of just being the system.

Because this kid is getting buckets at a clip (51% FG percentage, 44 last year) that only the legends of the game and Jeremy Lin for that one week have ever achieved before.

The man’s talent is special.

You’ve seen it. You already know.

It’s time the rest of the basketball-watching world found out.

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