Initially, Cam Thomas looked like the steal of the season following a red-hot start with the Milwaukee Bucks. He looked like the type of needle-mover that could help lift this team out of mediocrity to get in the Play-In. Yet, all of that has come crashing down, with Thomas suddenly struggling and showing significant signs of regression.
Cam Thomas has been stuck in the mud for the Bucks
Over his last five games, Thomas is averaging just 7.4 points on 7.8 shots per game. When you tally more shot attempts than points, you're in deep trouble. Indeed, Thomas is shooting an abysmal 25.6 percent from the floor, including 16.7 percent from deep. He's become borderline unplayable, which would have been a laughable statement a few games ago.
Gone is the player who made an excellent first impression in Milwaukee by averaging 22 points while hitting 55.9 percent of his shots in his first four games with the franchise. Despite a bleak stretch of games, there is still hope that that version of Thomas can return for the Bucks. With their season on life support, they could desperately use it.
The biggest thing for Thomas will be hitting his jump shots. What made him so impactful early on was his ability to simply nail tough jumper after tough jumper to save possessions. Over these past five games, he's hit a mere 7-of-33 (21.2 percent) of his jump shots, and it's lessened his impact mightily. If he isn't hitting shots, Thomas isn't doing much. That's clear.
Bucks cannot give up on Thomas just yet
While Cam Thomas hasn't been great for Milwaukee, he isn't alone. AJ Green continues struggling to hit deep shots. Ryan Rollins just had arguably his worst game of the year. Doc Rivers, perhaps more than anyone, is struggling to put the pieces together. Thomas is not the sole reason for Milwaukee's poor stretch to open the month. However, he can certainly help turn things around.
As he displayed by averaging over 20 points early on, this is a player who can help the Bucks when given a chance. One problem is consistency. Rivers has been inconsistent with his minutes. In this five-game run, Thomas is averaging 16.4 minutes per contest, the 10th most on the entire squad. That's incredibly low for a player who was on a heater as hot as he was.
No one expected Thomas to average 22 points the rest of the season, but he's certainly better than 7.4 per game. The honeymoon is over, but hope is not entirely lost just yet.
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