Nets land one player on The Ringer's top 100 after tanking season
Mar 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) looks on during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
The post Nets land one player on The Ringer's top 100 after tanking season appeared first on ClutchPoints.
With the 2024-25 NBA season nearing its close, a new hierarchy is emerging amongst the league's players. The Ringer released its updated top 100 players list on Thursday. Only one member of the Brooklyn Nets made the cut, with Cam Johnson coming in at No. 75.
Advertisement
'Older NBA prospects—like Cam Johnson, who was 23 years old when he was drafted in 2019—typically don't have high ceilings. So it made sense that Johnson was a good but not great contributor for a while in Phoenix: He was an excellent shooter with a career 40 percent mark from distance who lacked any other standout skills. Now in his late 20s, however, Johnson is coming into his own as a more well-rounded offensive threat,' wrote Zach Kram. 'He's seizing on the ample opportunities up for grabs in Brooklyn: He's initiating more offense, creating more shots for himself, and becoming even more efficient despite the increased volume. Although he surprisingly stayed put in Brooklyn past the trade deadline, his ultimate destination might still be as a role player for a contender—but now Johnson would fill that role with more oomph than ever before.'
Johnson is coming off a career-best season during which he averaged 18.8 points and 3.4 assists on 48/39/89 shooting splits. He and Desmond Bane were the NBA's only players to average at least 18 points on such efficiency.
With the Nets in the early stages of a rebuild, the 28-year-old could be a trade candidate leading up to the draft.
Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas were notable omissions from the Ringer's list.
Cam Johnson is lone Nets representative on The Ringer's NBA Top 100
Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Claxton had previously made the list, coming in at No. 60 following the 2022-23 campaign and No. 95 following 2023-24. His slide out of the Top 100 underscores a dip in production as Brooklyn continues a teardown of its roster.
Advertisement
Claxton, considered a Defensive Player of the Year candidate two seasons ago, struggled to produce at his accustomed level while battling injuries this season. He averaged 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 blocks on 56.3 percent shooting, his lowest since his rookie season. The 26-year-old suffered a back injury during the offseason that forced him to receive an epidural early in the year.
Claxton told reporters at his exit interview that his back was 'still bothering him,' but he would not need any procedure during the offseason.
Thomas has never made the Ringer's top 100 list. The 23-year-old further cemented his place as the Nets' lead offensive option this season, averaging 24.0 points on 44/35/88 shooting splits. However, he appeared in just 25 games while suffering three injuries to his left hamstring.
Thomas remains a polarizing player following his fourth NBA season. While he has proven capable of consistently posting monstrous scoring efforts, his playmaking and defense continue to raise questions about his long-term role.
Advertisement
The former first-round pick saw a slight uptick in his assist numbers this season, averaging 3.8 per game, although still well below other players with similar usage rates. His defense left much to be desired. Thomas posted a plus-6.8 defensive rating, the worst mark on the Nets, per CleaningTheGlass.
Despite this, Thomas has likely done enough over the last two seasons offensively to earn a significant payday. The Virginia native will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Related: Brooklyn Nets' perfect outcome for No. 8 pick in 2025 NBA Draft
Related: Most popular 2025 NBA Mock Draft picks for Nets at No. 8
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mavericks Vet Makes Major Free Agency Decision: Report
Mavericks Vet Makes Major Free Agency Decision: Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Following a 2024 playoff run that led them back to the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years, the Dallas Mavericks' future looked pretty bright in 2024-25. Advertisement But Dallas general manager Nico Harrison shocked the world when he traded franchise centerpiece Luka Donic, already a five-time All-NBA First Teamer with the club at age 25, to the Los Angeles Lakers for a relatively muted return. Doncic and big men Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris were shipped off to L.A. in exchange for oft-hurt 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, who was 31 at the time, plus shooting guard Max Christie and a single future first round draft pick. The Lakers and Mavericks both rerouted 2025 second round selections to the Utah Jazz, as L.A. needed to include a third team to take on the contract of little-used second-year guard Jalen Hood-Schifino. Bringing in Davis, still a terrific two-way player, for the much younger Doncic wasn't a terrible All-Star-for-All-Star haul if Harrison was truly unconvinced that Doncic was capable of repeating his 2024 success — the big issue was the returning draft equity. For comparison's sake, the Orlando Magic just had to surrender four first round picks, plus one first round pick swap, to acquire shooting guard Desmond Bane — who has never been an All-Star and gets hurt with frustrating frequency — from the Memphis Grizzlies. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Harrison's asset management came under harsh scrutiny... for a time. Advertisement But when the Mavericks fell out of the playoff hunt and lucked into the No. 1 pick in this month's upcoming 2025 NBA Draft (sure to be Duke superstar forward Cooper Flagg), all was (almost) forgiven. Now, another key roster piece has made a decision on his future in Dallas. Sources inform Marc Stein of The Stein Line (via Substack) that reserve big man Dwight Powell has picked up his $4 million player option for 2025-26. His deadline to do so was Tuesday, a day before the start of the draft. Last year, the 6-foot-10 Stanford product played sparingly last season, and likely predicted that he wasn't going to be able to surpass that $4 million (a notch above what he'd fetch with a veteran's minimum contract) on the open market. In 55 contests, the 33-year-old averaged 2.1 points on .689/.400/.651 shooting splits and 2.1 rebounds. Advertisement Related: Fresh Intel Reveals Mavericks' Strong Stance on Cooper Flagg This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
LaVar Ball wants his sons to play for the Lakers
When the Los Angeles Lakers drafted University of California, Los Angeles guard Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, it meant that his father, LaVar, would be front and center. The elder Ball, who played college basketball and had a brief pro football career, was essentially a hype man for his son, as well as the CEO of Big Baller Brand, a clothing and sneaker manufacturer. He drew the ire of many people when he claimed that the younger Ball was a better player than Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and even said that the younger Ball was "the best player in the world." While the 6-foot-6 guard had his moments, he failed to even come close to playing at an All-Star level, and after two years with the Lakers, they sent him to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Anthony Davis trade. Now that a majority share of the Lakers is going to be sold by the Buss family to Mark Walter, the elder Ball wants his three sons — Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo — to play for the Purple and Gold and for Magic Johnson to return to the organization. 'More news!' LaVar said. 'The Lakers just sold for $10 billion. Uh oh. Hey, [Los Angeles] Clippers, you better get my boys or Lakers if you put Magic back in line. Let Magic run this thing so we go get these championships, 'cause he know what to do. Magic, this for you. Since them Lakers is ran by a new group, shoot. A new time, new era. Go get the Ball boys. Hey, it's not even about a bidding war. First come, first serve. 'Whoever wants them championships, better get the Ball boys. Trust me when I tell you. But Magic, if you in line, I'm down with you, dawg. Holler at your boy.' Johnson was the Lakers' president of basketball operations from February 2017 to April 2019. He was a key reason the Lakers drafted Lonzo Ball in 2017, and he even visited the Ball clan in Chino Hills just prior to that year's draft. He has also been involved with Walter since 2012 as part of the group that owns the Los Angeles Dodgers. Under their leadership, the Dodgers have had a tremendous amount of success, which includes two World Series championships in 2020 and 2024. Lonzo Ball has had lots of trouble staying healthy since coming into the NBA. As a member of the Chicago Bulls, he suffered a meniscus tear in January 2022, and although he was initially expected to miss up to eight weeks, he ended up being out of action for nearly three calendar years. He ultimately underwent multiple surgical procedures as a result of the injury. Although he returned to action on Nov. 27, 2024, he only played in 35 games afterward. For the season, he averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 22.2 minutes a game while shooting 36.6% from the field.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
TJ McConnell Receives Message From Ex-Celtics Star Before NBA Finals Game 7
TJ McConnell Receives Message From Ex-Celtics Star Before NBA Finals Game 7 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. On Thursday night, the Indiana Pacers avoided elimination in their final home game of the season and forced a Game 7 in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which will take place on Sunday. Advertisement Though the Pacers got major contributions out of numerous players, perhaps none of them stood out as much as backup point guard T.J. McConnell did. In the win, the Pittsburgh native recorded 12 points on 6-for-12 shooting, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals. He was everywhere on the court and played a big role in Indiana's win. Following his performance, a former Boston Celtics star took to social media to send a message to McConnell. Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard (10).© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Though he made headlines following his impressive Game 6 performance, McConnell has been a solid contributor in the NBA for a decade and has built a reputation as one of the smartest and peskiest players in the league. So much so, that former Celtics star Isaiah Thomas called him "one of my favorite players in the league." Advertisement "So dope!! TJ one of my favorite players in the league for sureeeeee," Thomas wrote on X. Thomas, who spent his best years in Boston from 2015 to 2017, is likely not the only basketball personality who values McConnell as highly as he does. The 33-year-old has been crucial to Indiana's success all season, and that is no different in the NBA Finals. As the Pacers aim to pull off the series comeback and secure their first-ever NBA Championship, they will continue to rely heavily on McConnell following his fantastic showing in Game 6. Related: Former Celtics Star Announces Decision on Retirement Related: NBA Player Sends Message After Being Released by Celtics in 2019 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
