D.J. Thomas remains go-to guy for UNLV despite recent misses

UNLV Rebels head coach Kevin Kruger talks with UNLV Rebels guard D.J. Thomas (11) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Utah State Aggies at Thomas & Mack Center Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Photo by Steve Marcus

Taking big shots means missing big shots — and living with the results.

D.J. Thomas is comfortable with that responsibility.

Now in his second year as UNLV’s go-to guy, Thomas has experienced both ends of the spectrum over the past two weeks, playing the hero in exhilarating wins and, alternately, shouldering the burden of missing late shots that cost the Scarlet and Gray in their two most recent contests.

On Tuesday, UNLV trailed Wyoming, 63-61, with time running out. Thomas dribbled the length of the court before missing a fadeaway baseline jumper as time expired.

A few days later, Thomas was fouled on his potential game-tying attempt against New Mexico with 1.3 seconds to play. He stepped to the line needing to make two free throws to send the game into overtime; he converted the first, but his second attempt bounced off the back rim, sealing a second straight defeat for the Scarlet and Gray.

Thomas didn’t take the losses lightly, but following the New Mexico game, he made it clear that that’s life as the face of the program.

“Disappointing, but I’ll be back in the gym tomorrow getting up a hundred free throws,” Thomas said. “On to the next one.”

That’s probably the right attitude to take. UNLV is going to continue to call on its sophomore star in clutch situations, and the last thing the team needs is Thomas dwelling on the misses.

By the numbers, Thomas has been good in clutch situations this season. In the last five minutes of close games (with the score within five points), Thomas has attempted 14 shots and made seven, good for an even 50.0%. That’s significantly higher than his season-long field-goal percentage of 41.6%.

And despite the late miss against Wyoming, Thomas has also been rock-solid from the free-throw line. In clutch situations he is now 20-of-25 on the year, an 80.0% rate that is higher than his overall mark of 73.3%.

Part of what makes Thomas a good option late in games is his dependability. He doesn’t commit turnovers (just one giveaway in the clutch this season), and his dribbling ability allows him to manipulate the clock while still getting to his spots on demand.

Basically, when Kruger calls Thomas’ number, UNLV is guaranteed to get a decent look. That’s valuable in the closing seconds when opposing defenses are turned up to max intensity.

“The last couple minutes of the game, you’ve got to get shots up at the rim,” Kruger said. “And also good shots. It doesn’t do any good — a bad shot is like a turnover.”

Thomas was similarly strong in the clutch last year, when he shot 55.2% in close-and-late situations (a number that doesn’t include his buzzer beater to force overtime against San Diego State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament).

In UNLV's 60 clutch possessions this season Thomas has accounted for 42 points either by scoring or assisting others, and the Scarlet and Gray have scored at a rate of 1.45 points per possession. For context, the nation’s leader in offensive efficiency, Auburn, averages 1.20 PPP. UNLV is at 1.05 PPP for the season.

His two biggest daggers came in consecutive wins over Utah State (Jan. 15) and San Diego State (Jan. 18). In both contests Thomas made mid-range jumpers in the final minute to seal victories over Mountain West contenders.

Even with all the successes, Thomas has several high-profile misses. On Dec. 17, he rimmed out a last-second baseline jumper that would have forced overtime, almost identical to the final miss against Wyoming.

That’s life as the go-to guy. When they go in, you’re celebrated. When they miss, you’ve let down the team and the entire fan base.

Thomas isn’t one to ride the extremes. Even-keeled beyond his years, the Las Vegas native took the blame after UNLV’s most recent loss and made it clear he’ll be ready for the next attempt with the game on the line.

“Bad decisions down the stretch by me,” Thomas said. “We’ll watch film on it, learn from it and try not to make it again.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.