5 picks from the 2021 NBA Draft that could surprise us
By Dan Bennett
2021 NBA draft picks with potential to surprise: 4. Cameron Thomas
There are not many players taken in this draft that have a higher offensive skillset than Cameron Thomas, as he demonstrated at Summer League.
Thomas has the invaluable ability to create his own shot and has a broad toolkit of moves he can go to, including the much sought-after stepback three.
It’s unusual to see a college player enter the league with such a complete offensive game as Thomas has. Like most offensive-oriented players entering the league, he still needs to work on his shot selection and decision making but if he can polish his game there’s a good chance he’ll massively outperform that 27th spot.
And what better place to learn his craft than in Brooklyn? A team that has some of the best shot creators to ever play the game in James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Thomas has an incredible opportunity to learn from these guys while contributing to a winning team at this early stage in his career.
He does have a tendency to take too many difficult shots, and his opportunity to shoot will be lessened on a team with the amount of quality the Nets have, meaning it will be vital to make smart decisions.
But it looks like the Nets just added another fine scorer to the wealth of offensive talent already on the roster.