When the Milwaukee Bucks signed Cam Thomas, it was viewed as a nice move to beef up the roster down the stretch. Sure, Thomas could help, but he wouldn't be stealing any minutes from Milwaukee's guard duo of Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. Well, while that's still true, Porter has suddenly been ruled out of Milwaukee's upcoming matchup with Atlanta. The door is now wide open for Thomas.
Porter's absence leaves a hole in the backcourt
Porter has been listed as out for Milwaukee's game with the Atlanta Hawks due to right knee swelling. It's the same knee he suffered a torn meniscus in earlier this season. With that in mind, the Bucks are certainly going to be cautious. There's no telling if Porter will miss one game or 15 games. Either way, the Bucks suddenly need Cam Thomas a lot more than they did previously.
Excluding a couple of clunkers lately, Porter has been playing elite basketball. His numbers last month were comparable to some of the best players in the entire league. Now, with the Milwaukee Bucks still trying to make the postseason, they have Porter's injury lingering in the background as an obstacle. A resurgence from Cam Thomas could certainly help keep this team afloat.
A bounce-back from Cam Thomas is now needed
Thomas has been stuck in the mud for a while now. Over his last five games, Thomas is averaging just 7.4 points on 25.6 percent field goal shooting. That's on the complete opposite end of the spectrum compared to the 22 points on 55.9 percent shooting he posted during his first four games in a Bucks uniform. If he can get back to playing more like he was initially, it could be a massive boost.
Though he may not have the facilitating or rebounding chops that Porter does (perhaps those could come from Doc Rivers reinserting Kyle Kuzma into the rotation), Thomas can certainly fill the scoring void, and the Bucks will need it. He's always been a bucket-getter. All it takes is to see one basket fall for him to get hot. Milwaukee needs a few to drop against the Hawks.
After being released by the Brooklyn Nets, Thomas wanted a chance to prove himself wherever he eventually landed, and now, he has that opportunity in Milwaukee. He must capitalize by doing what he's always done best. Score. Score. Score.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.