The poll has spoken for this week’s San Antonio Spurs prospect watch and we will break down LSU guard Cameron Thomas. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound shooter was put on this earth to get buckets. Despite his lower shooting percentages, he was the main option on offense for LSU and ended up taking a ton of shots he probably shouldn’t have.
#Spurs nation! It is time to vote on who your next prospect profile will be. Some varied choices for you!
— Benjamin Bornstein (@THE_BOOMSTEIN) April 30, 2021
His confidence, athleticism, and ability to get buckets will be what get him drafted. However, he will have to show he can play unselfishly and do more than just shoot. He has a penchant for bad shot selection and not being a great playmaker for his teammates. Here are his stats from his lone season at LSU.
Stats
- 23 PPG, 0.9 SPG, 1.4 APG, 3.4 RPG
- 40.6 FG%, 32.5 3P%, 88.2 FT%
- 24.0 PER, 117.9 ORtg, 109.4 DRtg
Thomas takes and makes tough shots consistently, even when those shots might not be part of a great selection. He can shoot it well at all three levels and is absolutely fearless in doing so. He’s strong when he gets to the rim and it’s how he has been able to get to the free-throw line so often.
While shooting can make up for a multitude of sins, Thomas has some that can’t be overlooked. While he’s not a turnover machine, he averaged more turnovers than assists. That’s a bit troubling and will need to be remedied since he is undersized to play at shooting guard and might be forced into combo guard duty.
Offense is clearly Thomas’s calling card, but if he wants to become a major part of a team’s rotation, he will have to prove he can play some defense and rebound the ball. Two things that were not seen from him too often at LSU. He’s a good athlete who’s capable of playing sufficient defense, but he never had to in Baton Rouge since he was the main scoring option.
The 19-year old guard is absolutely a first-round pick and could be a consideration for the Spurs. That will depend on how they believe their guard situation will play out this summer. If they lose the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills, and Quinndary Weatherspoon, then going after a guard like Thomas would make sense.
Thomas is currently 22nd on the TradeNBA big board and 16th on ESPN’s.
View our full list of prospects profiled on our 2021 Prospects Page.
