The Portland Trail Blazers are finally returning home after a disappointing road stretch where they went 1-4, now falling to 6-7 on the season. Defense was expected to be this team's calling card, but that has surprisingly been their downfall in their recent skid. While some of that can be attributed to their lack of depth due to injuries to players such as Matisse Thybulle and Blake Wesley, Portland's healthy players aren't carrying their weight, either. That starts with last year's All-Defensive wing Toumani Camara.
Camara has the fifth-worst defensive rating (120.4) on Portland's roster. The Blazers finished last season as a top-ten defensive unit, with expectations of carrying that over into this season, especially following the Jrue Holiday-Anfernee Simons swap with the Boston Celtics. But without Camara leading the way, they surprisingly rank just 21st in team defensive rating (116.3) and 25th in opponent points per game (122.2).
What happened to Toumani Camara's defense?
The Blazers simply don't have enough shooting or star power to keep up in the loaded Western Conference. Their only realistic pathway to becoming a play-in team comes from their advantage on the defensive end. That makes it even more crucial that Camara finds a way to right the ship and become the player Portland expected him to be when they invested in him with a four-year, $82 million contract extension before the season.
That was a reasonable value for the Blazers, considering Camara's two-way impact. If anything, the concern came on the offensive end with question marks surrounding whether his 37.5% three-point shooting was sustainable.
Unfortunately, Camara is also regressing in that department. This season, he's averaging 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 41/33/71 shooting splits. Portland needs him to be the 3-and-D player he was last year, but so far, he's falling short of expectations on both ends.
The defensive aspect is more puzzling, as it seems like something Camara has more control over. Shooters regress all the time, but there's no reason for him to take a step back as a defender in Year 3. Defense is a combination of physical tools, basketball IQ/instincts, and effort. Is he expending too much energy offensively in hopes of becoming more of a playmaker and shot creator, that it's negatively affecting his defense?
The Blazers must figure out what is causing this surprising decline, as they need Camara to be the defensive playmaker and point of attack defender he was last year. Their defense, and ultimately their playoff chances, rely on it.