The Portland Trail Blazers began the 2024-25 season with 27 of their first 29 games against Western Conference teams. Their difficult schedule, combined with an adjustment period for a young team integrating new pieces, led to a slow start to the season, as many expected.
At one point, Portland had a 13-28 record, looking similar to the 21-win team from last season. But the Blazers surprisingly turned a corner heading into the All-Star break as all the pieces were starting to align. In February, Portland finished the month with the fourth-best defensive rating in the league, a significant improvement from their 21st ranking for the season.
Some of that can be attributed to Chauncey Billups, who emphasized defensive accountability and benched Shaedon Sharpe for that exact reason. But there's one more significant reason for this: Defensive Player of the Month, Toumani Camara.
Blazers getting Toumani Camara as part of the Deandre Ayton trade is becoming a massive fleece
Between the Camara and Deni Avdija deals, the Blazers front office has made it a point of emphasis to go out and get these long, versatile wings in trades. And it's been exactly what they were missing.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst recently discussed how these two trades have paid off and contributed to the Blazers' resurgent season on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective.
"A trade they made last summer is paying great dividends. Deni Avdija is proving to be a really versatile, quality player. But another trade they made before last season has paid dividends. Look, Deandre Ayton is a polarizing player, but to get Toumani Camara in that deal was a great move," said MacMahon.
Unsurprisingly, the Blazers' improved play is tied with Camara -- arguably their most important player -- taking his game to another level. MacMahon points out Camara's recent 20-game stretch where he's averaging 13 points and seven rebounds on 55 percent shooting from the field and 47 percent from deep.
Camara is finally getting much-deserved recognition for being one of the league's best perimeter defenders. But because his defense is so elite, his offensive game can easily get overlooked.
He's shooting 37.6 percent from beyond the arc this season and has officially become that missing 3-and-D wing that the Blazers haven't had since Nicolas Batum. He's also rapidly developing other aspects of his offensive arsenal, whether it's creating off the dribble, cutting, or getting an occasional post touch.
Camara was just the No. 52 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, falling due to concerns surrounding his shooting and upside as someone who was already 23 when he entered the draft. Outside of passing ability, it's reminiscent of Draymond Green, an elite defender who had a high impact on winning but fell to the second round in 2012 due to similar concerns.
Because of where he was selected, Camara seemed like a throw-in piece in the Deandre Ayton-Jusuf Nurkic swap (part of the larger Damian Lillard trade). But, as Jason Quick of The Athletic covered in-depth, Camara was a focal point of the deal getting done. Both teams sensed that Camara was a hidden gem -- particularly after his Summer League play -- and were fighting over him in trade negotiations.
Now we know why the Blazers were so adamant about including a late second-round pick as part of the deal, which increasingly looks like more of a steal with each passing game.