The Nets? They’ve been hit from all sides this year. Key trades, a Ben Simmons departure, and then, on top of it all, injuries. And amidst that, they’re facing the Sixers. Speaking of missing players, it’s been ages since Cam Thomas played. He got injured back on January 2nd, meaning he’s only played 19 games and sat out the last 21. But good news: that’s about to change.

Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez provided an update regarding Thomas’ recovery and return ahead of their game against the Philadelphia 76ers. And for Nets fans, things look promising. “He did great [in the 5v5].  He scored a lot…It’s [Thomas’return] gonna be soon. I cannot tell you exactly when, but it’s trending in the right direction. He’s in a good place. We’re happy to have him back soon.”

It’s quite evident the Nets miss him on the court. Since he was sidelined, the Nets have struggled with offensive efficiency. Without Thomas, they have the league’s worst offensive rating, averaging a meager 99.5 points per game. Cam’s 24.7 points per game before his injury would certainly help alleviate that.

While the news of Cam Thomas’ return must feel like finding an oasis in the desert for a Nets fan, there’s also some bad news. D’Angelo Russell, who the Nets acquired from the Lakers, has an ankle injury. And it’s set to keep him sidelined for the next two games. Things went wrong for D’Lo in the third quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers game on Thursday.

Russell ended up leaving the court with just 3 points in 17 minutes played. Plus, D’Angelo was having a rough shooting night even before the ankle injury, going just 1-for-7. And get this, he’s now out for Monday’s Wizards game too, still dealing with that ankle. They’re saying he’ll be re-evaluated after that, so Wednesday against the Thunder’s the earliest we might see him back. Now, even with D’Angelo sidelined, Cam Thomas coming back is a huge win for the Nets, right? But you gotta wonder, how’s Cam feeling about jumping back in?

Cam Thomas is ‘really excited’ to get back out on the court

It hasn’t been an easy ride for the Nets as they played without Cam Thomas. They’ve only got 7 wins in their last 21 games going into the Sixers game. Not a record that any team in the league will envy. However, Cam Thomas is eager to help the Nets get back on track.

“I can’t wait to get back on the court,” he told Meghan Triplett of the YES Network. He then brought up playing in the 5v5 after so long. “It was great, just being able to get out here and play, first time playing 5-on-5 in a while so it’s really good, I’m really excited, can’t wait to get back… Family, teammates, coaches, they always keep me level-headed, encouraging me, just letting me know that they can’t wait to have me back, everybody can’t wait to see me playing again,” he concluded.

While Thomas is excited to be back for the Nets, head coach Jordi Fernandez must be elated. After all, Thomas’ return also marks the return of the team’s highest scorer. And as we pointed out earlier, the Nets need scorers.

That said, the injury to D’Lo couldn’t have come at a worse time. Cam Thomas will still need a game or two to get back into the rhythm he was in before the injury. We’ve seen Luka Doncic struggle with the exact same thing at the Lakers recently. So, Jordi Fernandez will probably hope that his team’s injury woes end soon!