Doc Rivers isn’t one to throw around comparisons lightly. So when he name-drops Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams-two of the most prolific bench scorers in recent NBA history-you pay attention.
And when he puts Cam Thomas in that same breath? That’s a statement.
“I’ve had Jamal Crawford. I had Lou Williams.
And now, I have Cam Thomas,” Rivers told reporters after the Bucks’ win over the Magic. “The guy is a natural scorer, and you can see that.”
That’s not lip service. That’s a coach recognizing a player who can flat-out get buckets-and doing it in just his second game in a Bucks uniform.
Thomas came off the bench and lit up the scoreboard, dropping a game-high 34 points in just 25 minutes. He shot 12-of-20 from the field, knocked down 4-of-6 from deep, and added two assists and four rebounds. The Bucks didn’t need a full game from him-they just needed that spark, and Thomas brought the fire.
Yes, Rivers noted there were a couple of possessions where Thomas over-dribbled. But that’s part of the package.
You live with a few bumps when the upside is this high. “You teach that to get that out of him,” Rivers said.
“But overall, he was fantastic.”
And he’s not wrong. The early returns in Milwaukee are eye-catching. While it’s only been two games, the numbers already show a different version of Thomas than what we saw in Brooklyn earlier this season.
Cam Thomas - This Season by the Numbers
With Brooklyn (24 games):
- 24.3 minutes
- 39% from the field
- 32% from three
- 15.6 points
- 3.1 assists
- 1.8 rebounds
With Milwaukee (2 games):
- 19.0 minutes
- 52% from the field
- 57% from three
- 19.0 points
- 1.5 assists
- 2.5 rebounds
It’s a small sample size, sure, but the efficiency jump is hard to ignore. Thomas is getting fewer minutes but producing more-scoring more efficiently, shooting the lights out from deep, and looking far more comfortable in his role.
After the game, Thomas spoke about what Rivers’ praise meant to him.
“It means a lot having that confidence [in me] that early,” he said. “Everybody knows I can score-at the end of the day, that’s the name of the game.
Getting buckets and scoring. But I am more than just a scorer.”
That’s a message Thomas has been trying to send for a while now. He’s not just a microwave scorer-he sees himself as a playmaker, someone who can draw attention and make the right reads. “I feel like that’s a part of my game that gets underrated just because I score the ball so well,” he added.
His path to Milwaukee wasn’t exactly smooth. After falling out of the Nets’ rotation last season, it became clear he wasn’t part of Brooklyn’s long-term plans.
The team extended him a qualifying offer over the summer, but a trade never came together. When the deadline passed and the Nets released him, Milwaukee didn’t hesitate.
Now, Thomas is back in a familiar spot-playing for a contract. His current deal runs through the 2025-26 season, and what happens beyond that is still up in the air. But if he keeps producing like this, especially under the guidance of a coach like Rivers, he’s going to make a strong case for sticking around.
For now, the Bucks are getting exactly what they hoped for: a scoring punch off the bench, a player with something to prove, and a coach who knows how to bring the best out of him. And if Rivers is already seeing shades of Crawford and Williams in Thomas, that’s a pretty good sign that Milwaukee may have found a gem.