Cam Thomas isn’t afraid to shoot the basketball. That much is certain. He’s shown it in the last few games for the Brooklyn Nets, and is now behind only LeBron James in the list of youngest players to record back-to-back games with 40 points or more.

It’s a heartening sight for Nets fans, who finally got closure on the Kyrie Irving saga after the oft-unreliable point guard finally forced his way out of town with a trade demand. Irving is now a problem that the Dallas Mavericks have to deal with, and the addition by subtraction might end up working out for the Nets.

Don’t get me wrong. On a talent basis, Thomas is not, and likely never will be a replacement for Irving. He doesn’t have the same kind of handles, and his career high in assists (6), is one third of Irving’s (18). However, the Nets have predicated most of their success this season off of strong scoring, and that’s something that Thomas is capable of helping with.

While 40+ point games may not be the norm, as Thomas has only broken the 30-point barrier one other time and the 20-point barrier twice this season, it at least gives the Nets the hope that he might be able to produce more thanks to getting a few of the shots that Irving would be taking.

However, things will continue to be tense in Brooklyn in the coming days, as there’s now also rumors that Kevin Durant may be headed to Boston.

The Nets have been this season’s endless soap opera, and it looks like that will continue to be the case for a little while more. All eyes will be on what happens during the trade deadline.