Fresh off earning their first win of the season on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers, the Brooklyn Nets returned to action Friday night looking to build momentum. Instead, they were forced to move forward without Cam Thomas, who exited Wednesday’s game after just six minutes because of a right hamstring injury — the same hamstring issue that limited him to only 23 games last season.
Without Thomas, Brooklyn’s offensive rhythm stalled, and the team suffered an 18-point loss to the Detroit Pistons. Michael Porter Jr. Led the Nets with 28 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the team’s defensive struggles and inconsistent play. With the defeat, the Nets dropped to 1–8 overall and remained winless at home at 0–5. They now sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, tied with the Washington Wizards.
Before Friday’s game, the Nets received clarity on Thomas’ injury timeline. Head coach Jordi Fernández told reporters that Thomas will miss at least three to four weeks as he continues to recover. Thomas, however, remained upbeat, noting that this setback is less severe than the one he suffered last year.
“It’s way different. It’s not as bad as the last one, I’ll say that,” Thomas said. “I dodged a bullet with that.”
Thomas will continue rehabbing and is expected to be reevaluated in the coming weeks as Brooklyn hopes to avoid falling deeper into an early-season hole.
In his absence, the Nets will continue leaning heavily on their youth. Brooklyn made five first-round selections in the 2025 NBA Draft and currently owns the youngest roster in the league with an average age of 23.36. No. 8 overall pick Egor Demin drew the start on Friday, giving the rookie an early opportunity to earn larger responsibilities.
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