Toumani Camara has become the most important player on the Portland Trail Blazers roster in terms of being their X-Factor, playing a significant role in determining whether Portland wins or loses. That trend has yet another data point to add to the sample size after Portland's heartbreaking 115-112 loss to the Orlando Magic following a Desmond Bane buzzer beater.
The silver lining is that Portland had virtually no business being in this game, as they scored 11 straight unanswered points to put them within striking distance at the end. Part of the reason they were behind throughout the game was the play of Camara. He played 34 minutes yet finished with just eight points, five rebounds, and three assists, shooting 3-of-9 from the field and 1-of-6 from deep.
Considering his three-point efficiency has taken a massive hit to start the season, this is now a concerning trend that Portland can't afford to ignore.
Blazers are learning Toumani Camara lesson after extension
This season, Camara is averaging 12.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on 40/32/69 shooting splits. Those are similar counting stats to last season, but Camara shot 45.8% from the field and 37.5% from three. Now, he's trending more towards the 33.7% from beyond the arc he shot as a rookie, suggesting last season may have been closer to a fluke rather than the norm that Portland should expect.
This offseason, the Blazers and Camara reached a four-year, $82 million extension. While that still appears to be a reasonable value considering his elite defense and two-way impact, it shouldn't be considered team-friendly if Camara is unable to space the floor reliably.
Portland extended both Shaedon Sharpe and Camara, but the former has untapped potential while the latter has somewhat plateaued as a player. After all, he's already 25 years old and was the No. 52 overall pick in 2023 -- part of the reason Camara fell in the draft was due to his limited ceiling as an older, more developed prospect.
The Blazers now sit at 5-5 on the season, with their next chance to get above .500 coming Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans while they continue their five-game road trip. Hopefully, Camara can right the ship and return to the form he showed last season as a shooter.
Seeing how drastically his play affects the outcome of these games for Portland, their postseason chances depend on it.