Nets guard set to return to lineup on Friday

Nets guard Cam Thomas is set to make his return from a hamstring injury on Friday against the Trail Blazers, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Thomas hasn’t made an appearance in a game since Jan. 2 due to the injury.

In his first 19 games this season, Thomas is averaging 24.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 44.8% from the field and 37.5% from three on 7.6 attempts per game. A strong offensive player, Thomas should boost an offense that now ranks 27th on the season and has averaged just 100.7 points (which would rank last in the league by a wide margin) since Thomas went down.

Despite the offensive numbers, the Nets are still only 1.5 games out of being in the play-in picture. Though they have games against the streaking Pistons and Warriors on the horizon, Brooklyn’s been competitive under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez.

The rotation upon Thomas’s return will be worth monitoring. The LSU product did not start in either of his last two games, as he had also missed almost all of December due to injury. Keon Johnson has taken over the starting two guard spot since Thomas’s injury. With both Thomas and D’Angelo Russell out, the Nets have been turning to a starting backcourt consisting of Killian Hayes and Johnson.