Who would have known that Toumani Camara would be the Portland Trail Blazers' best 3-point shooter this season? The concern is whether he can sustain his production and efficiency from deep. Also, can the Blazers adapt if Camara's shooting declines?
The team has been one of the league's early surprises this year. It is one of only three Western Conference squads that have yet to notch multiple losses so far.
A major reason behind the impressive start is a top-ranked offense. The Blazers are currently fifth in average points and third in offensive rating.
While Deni Avdija, Damian Lillard, and Ja Morant deserve much of the credit for running the offense, Camara's shooting touch has also helped open the floor for his star teammates.
Outshooting even Dame
There was plenty of optimism surrounding Portland's offense entering the 2026-27 campaign, as the addition of Lillard was expected to deliver some needed outside shooting. Interestingly, Camara has been a much bigger help in that department.
The Blazers legend has been solid in his second go-around with the franchise. He even treated fans to a vintage Dame Time performance against the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, it's Camara who currently leads the squad in 3-point shooting, sinking 4.0 per game. He also paces all of the Blazers' rotation players in 3-point efficiency, hitting 51.3 percent of his long-distance shots.
Hoping Tou's hot hand sustains
The fourth-year pro's blazing start to the regular season has definitely been exciting to watch. There might even be an argument that he has been Rip City's best two-way player to this point. His sublime play has been key to unlocking the three-man lineup of Avdija, Lillard, and Morant. And now that Ja will be out for a while and Scoot Henderson is starting in his place, Camara's 3-and-D game has become even more important.
What if the shots don't fall in as much anymore? Expecting him to continue shooting at such a blistering rate will probably lead to disappointment. Not even the best marksmen of all time can connect on more than half of their 3-point shots at a high volume.
Hopefully, though, Camara's likely shooting regression wouldn't be that dire. After all, he had made 2.2 3-pointers per contest with 37.2 percent accuracy in the previous two seasons. So, it's not like his draining threes like prime Damian Lillard should be that surprising.
Still, it's plausible that Camara's shooting goes colder than expected. If that happens, opponents could sag off him, and the floor suddenly becomes smaller for Avdija and Lillard (and Morant once he returns). Let's pray then that the Blazers know how to utilize him on offense in more ways than one.
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