Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently ranked the top 10 most underrated players in the NBA. Coming in at No. 8 was Portland Trail Blazers lockdown defender Toumani Camara. Here was the full list:
No. 10: Cam Spencer, Memphis Grizzlies
No. 9: Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 8: Toumani Camara, Portland Trail Blazers
No. 7: Paul Reed, Detroit Pistons
No. 6: Naji Marshall, Dallas Mavericks
No. 5: Miles McBride, New York Knicks
No. 4: Ty Jerome, Memphis Grizzlies
No. 3: Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks
No. 2: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta Hawks
No. 1: Neemias Queta, Boston Celtics
Toumani Camara lands at No. 8 on Bleacher Report's most underrated players
Blazers bias aside, this is overall a very solid list. Besides Camara's deserved spot on it, other immediate reactions include:
- The Blazers should absolutely regret giving up on Nickeil Alexander-Walker too soon
- Portland should be working the phones with Dallas for Naji Marshall to fill its forward void
- Are we sure Miles McBride is underrated?
One player who shouldn't be up for debate is Camara, who is the definition of the player archetype that contenders covet.
Why Toumani Camara remains underrated
He's an ideal role player who can be the fourth or fifth best player on a championship roster due to his ability to impact winning without the ball. That's why it's so important that Portland considers Camara a building block going forward, as he'll be incredibly valuable for whatever the final version of this roster looks like.
Buckley points out Camara's elite defense, which includes an All-Defensive Second Team appearance in 2024-25, a 91st percentile in defensive estimated plus/minus this season, and, of course, setting the NBA's single‑season record for offensive fouls drawn.
That's already impressive in itself, but where Camara becomes truly underrated is on the offensive side of the ball.
He's gradually improved his scoring output each season since entering the league, even emerging as a 3-and-D option for Portland as someone who's shot 37 percent from beyond the arc the past two years.
The next step in Camara's development is to become a more consistent shooter. That overall shooting percentage doesn't reflect his streakiness. This past season, he shot 33.4 percent from deep in the Blazers' losses compared to 40.6 percent in wins.
But that also underscores Camara's importance on his roster. He's become the X-Factor for this team, which could come as a surprise to those who don't watch the Blazers on a nightly basis.
In addition to the improved shooting and shot-creation, arguably the two most underrated aspects of Camara's game are his playmaking and availability.
This was someone who primarily played the power forward and center throughout his collegiate career. There's a reason he was the No. 52 overall pick in 2023, as there were serious concerns regarding how his game would translate to the next level as a 6-foot-7 big.
To his credit, Camara has surprisingly used that to his advantage, becoming a far more versatile wing than anyone expected. As he continues to expand his offensive arsenal, he's developing his game beyond just a 3-and-D piece, improving in terms of creating shots for both himself and his teammates.
But perhaps most impressive of all is Camara's reliability.
He followed up 78 games played in 2024-25 by playing every single game last year. All of this while finishing fourth in total minutes and frequently guarding the opposing team's best player each night.
Ever since coming over from Phoenix, Blazers fans could tell they had something special on their hands. Now, it appears the rest of the NBA is finally catching on too. Still, as this ranking suggests, he's still underrated relative to how impactful he truly is for this team.
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