The off-season slowly comes to an end along with summer and Brooklyn Nets Basketball is around the corner. September 27th brought news of the Nets signing a Brooklyn born player and bringing him into the fold. No not that guy, but Lance Thomas.
Many of you will know Lance Thomas from his for the last four and a half seasons he’s spent with that other team in New York. His time with the Knicks was by far the most he’s had with any team thus far in the league. The terms of the contract haven’t been released as of yet, but here’s what the Nets newcomer brings to the team.
Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets love players who are true professionals. That cannot be argued with Lance. Marks can sleep relatively easy and not worry about any issues with him as his 8 years in the league have are pretty much spotless. He will be someone the younger plays can lean on for wisdom and mentorship like much of the roster. Another mature player in the locker room will be a great help.
Lance Thomas also brings the Nets another trustworthy shooter from 3. Coming into the league Lance wasn’t much of a shooter from beyond, but since coming to New York State, he’s shot a terrific percentage. Out of the four and a half (let’s just say five) seasons with the Knicks, Lance shot 40% or more three times. One of those times he shot a tick under 45% (.447%). He’s coming off a season shooting below 30%, but nothing was going well for the Knicks last season.
At 6’8″, 240lbs, Lance Thomas can play the small forward and power forward position. With Wilson Chandler out for a big chunk of the season and the question marks around Rodions Kurucs, Lance Thomas fills a position of need for the Nets.
Now, this signing isn’t exactly what Nets fans asked for, but it was something. I’m sure there were critics who were not fond of another ex-knickerbocker coming into the Nets fold, but there was no real push back. What did not go well with the fans out in Brooklyn, was how much Lance Thomas seemed to gush about his former team. Now I get as a native New Yorker, growing up there was only the Knicks. I get him being a fan of the team due to that. No one was asking him to trash his former team now that he’s a member of the Nets. And even some of his compliments of Knicks management can be excused. I love players candor, but you have to be careful. Him saying “I’ll always be a Knicks fan” might not be something you say on Nets media day. Maybe saying how much you wanted to be brought back vs how much you wanted to come to Brooklyn isn’t the first impression you want to leave with the fans.
But as the former captain of the Knicks for the last few seasons, Lance Thomas has the ability to win people over. Let’s hope he can do so in Brooklyn and he does his best to contribute and help bring New York it’s a first chip for either organization since the 70s.