By now, more people have likely heard about the Portland Trail Blazers' once-hidden gem, Toumani Camara. The young forward has made his mark as a disruptive force on the defensive end of the floor. However, he has started to make a case to be more involved on offense, and Tiago Splitter may have to make some changes to accommodate it.
This year, the Blazers are 25-15 whenever Camara scores at least 13, a mark equivalent to his current season average. That winning percentage (.625) would have them seeded No. 4 in the Western Conference. On the other hand, they are just 11-22 in the games he fails to breach the 13-point mark.
The trend has actually extended back to last season, as Portland is 41-25 since the 2024-25 campaign in the contests he has put up at least 13 points and 31-58 otherwise.
A bigger role on offense
There's a reason, though, why the third-year pro has yet to see a dramatic increase in his scoring average. He needs to further develop his ball-handling skills to leverage his strength and athleticism when attacking the basket. His outside shooting efficiency could also benefit from a boost, as he is converting just 36.1 percent of his threes (43.6 percent overall from the field).
Camara finally displayed his bucket-getting prowess in the Blazers' recent win. He recorded a career-high 35 points against the Brooklyn Nets, marking only the second time he scored at least 30 in his young career. The majority of his points against the Nets came from long distance, as he also put up a career-best nine 3-pointers.
By the looks of it, Camara is continuing to improve on offense, and if Splitter can craft and implement a playbook that gives the 25-year-old forward more open looks and better utilizes his ability to cut to the basket, Portland can expect him to become an even more consistent and productive scorer.
A tough balancing act
Of course, drawing up more plays for Camara is not as easy as it sounds. After all, the Blazers still need to rely heavily on him in getting stops, and expending too much energy on the other end could limit his effectiveness as a point-of-attack and help defender. The other side of the coin, though, is that doing well on offense can boost his morale and inspire him more on defense.
As such, Splitter has to find the right balance in maximizing Camara's two-way abilities. Perhaps the return of Shaedon Sharpe will open up the floor and present better scoring opportunities for the Belgian hoopster. Deni Avdija continuing to showcase his all-around genius and Donovan Clingan drawing more attention on offense should also help raise his scoring productivity efficiency.
With the postseason coming soon, Camara might just be the X-factor that could help the Blazers make it out alive of the play-in tournament. And he has already cemented his status as one of the Blazers' pillars beyond this season.