Trail Blazers fans should be thrilled about their team's 5-3 start to the season, especially considering the demanding schedule they've endured. Jrue Holiday is having a bounce-back season at 35 years old, justifying Portland's Anfernee Simons trade with the Boston Celtics. Deni Avdija continues his ascent and could be in the All-Star and Most Improved Player of the Year conversation.
While Holiday and Avdija have emerged as Portland's two best players, they aren't necessarily the most important players on this roster. That distinction belongs to Portland's true X-Factor, Toumani Camara.
Toumani Camara is the Blazers' ultimate X-Factor
Portland extended Camara to a four-year, $82 million deal before the start of the season. Early on, he's absolutely proving to be worth that and more, making this yet another team-friendly contract the Blazers have on the books.
Camara is already known to be an elite defender, as evidenced by his All-Defensive Second Team selection last year. However, it's his improved offense that plays a significant yet underrated role for the Blazers this season. In eight games, he's averaging 12.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 42/34/69 shooting splits. The scoring and assists are career highs as he becomes more of a playmaker and shot creator in year three.
We say Camara is becoming the Blazers' most important player, but not their best player, because of how different his performances are in Portland's wins and losses to start the season. He's averaging just 9.7 points on 33/26/67 shooting splits during losses, compared to 14.0 points on 47/39/70 shooting splits in wins.
The most telling stat is Camara's three-point efficiency. One of many reasons why we love Portland's newfound identity is that defense is much more consistent on a nightly basis than offense. At the collegiate level, the phrase is "defense travels." Shot-making fluctuates, particularly on the road, but defense is binary as something you either have or don't (Draymond Green should totally use this in his offense-defense debate with Kevin Durant).
With how elite Portland is on the defensive end, all they need is one or two players to step up and hit shots to win each game. With so few shooting options on an injury-riddled roster, Camara is emerging as one of the few players capable of taking on that role.
Holiday is going to find ways to impact winning with his playmaking, while Avdija can still get to the line to get his even if his shot isn't falling -- as evidenced in their 22-point comeback win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. When Camara becomes that tertiary offensive weapon and knocks down threes, the Blazers, with their elite defense, are a tough out for any team in the league.