Why Nets selected Cam Thomas in 2021 NBA Draft

Offense was not a problem one bit for the Nets this past season - but they decided to bulk up in that aspect anyway by taking Cam Thomas with their first - the the 27th overall - selection of Thursday's NBA Draft.

"I think he has an elite skill," said GM Sean Marks after the Draft. "You watch him play, you watch him find his shot, create his shot, that's very very high level, and for him to continue to learn from three of maybe the greatest scorers the league has right now will be great for him. The other part of it is he is fearless and he's not afraid. I think that's what we're looking for: We're looking for guys that are competitive, have that edge to them and a chip on their shoulder, and I think that's what we found with both those players specifically in talking to them, watching them play, watching them compete at a very, very high level...

"These guys are playing at a level where often times, they're maybe asked to do too much, or have to do too much. But I look at a guy like Cam who never shied away from the moment, never shied away from the shot. Supreme confidence, believes in his shot, believes in his shot-making ability.

Thomas averaged 23.0 points per game in his lone season at LSU last year - now, he gets to learn from some of the game's best in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.

"I think we're very, very fortunate to have the players that we already do on our roster," Marks said. "You see how hard they work, you see their tireless work ethic on a daily basis, and when we bring in the young bucks like we do, I'd make the argument that our players are often some of our best development coaches. They sit there and watch those guys, and they learn from them and so forth, The way, specifically, the three and Joe Harris and everybody else attacks the daily grind, that's a great example for all these young guys to follow and grow from."

On Day'Ron Sharpe

Brooklyn picked the UNC big man with the 29th selection.

"Size, mobility, his ability to stretch the floor, which quite frankly, hasn't been really seen yet. So we're really excited to get both these guys in the gym, both continue to develop with our development coaches, and then go from there," Marks said.

Marks added that Sharpe was the "best available" player on their board.

On how rookies can contribute to an already championship-caliber team

"I look at it like it's a great opportunity," said the Nets GM. "With every championship team, the players that are often talked about the most are obviously the stars. ... But if you look back at every championship run, there's always been that one, two, three players who maybe aren't in that top-eight rotation that come in, and whether it's throughout the year or in a playoff run, really step up big. We're gonna need that. When we're competing, and we're hopefully contending - that's the plan here - we're gonna need somebody to step up for us. And I think for those two specifically, they played at a very high level in college, they've had some great coaches, and just the level of competitiveness from both of them, and the fact that they're not afraid. It'll be great to get them with the group."

Trade bait?

"The plan is with these players we have right now, they're on our team," said Marks. "They're the Nets. These guys are gonna get a great opportunity to be part of the Nets family. We look forward to welcoming them to Brooklyn and going from there. One thing we always try to do is be as honest and upfront as we can, If there's rumors out there, which is honestly, it's part of the business we're in. It's not the fun part having to read your name out in the press and so forth, but it's the nature of the business and it's the job we chose. Guys are mature enough these days to figure out what's real and what's not, and all we can do is make sure we have honest conversations with them and make sure that we're available, whether that's myself or Steve or anybody else and have these honest conversations with our players."

On second-round picks Kessler Edwards (No. 44), Marcus Zegarowski (No. 49), and RaiQuan Gray (No. 59)

"We enjoy watching Kessler, his ability to stretch the floor, get up there, a positional need for us, looking forward to developing all three. Marcus, I'm sure you guys have seen him shoot and play at Creighton and what his ability is. Can really stretch the floor again, and a really fierce competitor, a very tough individual. RaiQuan is a very unique player. Step out on the court, stretch the floor, facilitate as a big, handle the ball, and if you watched him play at Florida State, very well-coached, high, high basketball IQ. So we're looking forward to getting those guys in the Summer League program with us and going from there.

"Especially at this level, and this time for these guys' development, we'll be doing them a disservice if we tried to put any individual in a box. We haven't had an opportunity to see them live in our gym with our players and specifically our coaches. Our development coaches have done a heck of a job. These are the things that I'm excited about, is getting a young group that hasn't been molded yet."