It took Cam Thomas almost seven weeks before he was cleared to go 5-on-5. There’s no telling how long it will be before he gets back into a game.
After sustaining another hamstring injury on Nov. 5 — his fourth since the start of last season — Thomas was finally cleared for 5-on-5 work on Saturday. But head coach Jordi Fernández was noncommittal about when his guard would make full contact, let alone play in a live match.
“CT is doing great. He had his 5-on-5 [Saturday]“It looked really good,” Fernández said. “And he will continue to do that until we feel he is ready.”
“[He was] a big part of it is the lack of contact with the rest of the team. Played a 5-on-5, and it’s just a matter of when. We’re not targeting a specific date, but we want to see how he feels and then go to the next session, see how he feels, and build from there. So it’s clear that priority number 1 is him and his body. And when he’s ready to help the team, he will.”
This capriciousness raises serious questions. The Nets are 0-7 with Thomas, but improved to 8-12 without him, which objectively looks better. They had the NBA’s best defense this month and played an egalitarian offense.
Two different league sources who spoke to The Post suggested Brooklyn could try to move Thomas before the Feb. 5 deadline.
Nic Claxton had to leave Sunday’s win due to a facial injury, but returned with twelve points and seven rebounds.
After Brandon Ingram was elbowed in the face in the first half, Claxton returned in the second half with four stitches and a bandage that he eventually ripped off.
“Yeah, it was just in my vision. And I didn’t have to have it on,” said Claxton, who initially called for a foul on the play with 7:26 left in the half. “I thought we should have challenged it because I just got elbowed. … So we got them to reverse the call, so I think it was worth it.”
Claxton suffered a major cut, but was relieved to avoid a broken nose.
“It was fine. I was just glad I didn’t break my nose honestly, because I break my nose once a year,” he said. “So the stitches there, right in the middle of my face, are manageable. So I’m glad it wasn’t worse than that.”
Nolan Traore, the only one of the Nets’ five rosters largely relegated to the G-League, got his first notable playing time since October. He had a career-high of eight points, three boards and two assists in 22:18, his longest stretch since Oct. 27.
“I was waiting for this match and I just took the opportunity they gave me,” Traore said. “I think I did a good job and I hope it stays that way.
“The more you play, the more confidence you get, and [Sunday] is a good example.”
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