Toumani Camara may not have had a super strong start to the season. But as the year has gone on, Portland Trail Blazers fans have been thrilled with the performance he's put up. Number 33 has been producing at the level of an elite three-and-D wing ever since the first 15 games of the season.
This topic was recently discussed by The Athletic's Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon on an episode of The Game Theory Podcast. On the show, the two talked about Camara's impact in Portland and how he has progressed as the season has gone on.
"I think we both agree Toumani Camara is in a very upper tier of perimeter defenders in the NBA," Simon said. "He's a starting-caliber wing/forward who may not be great offensively, but he's a starter. He's a two-way starter that they need to prioritize. They've already prioritized moving forward."
Trail Blazers fans know the kind of talent their team has on its hands in Camara. He's been criminally underrated by the national audience, and Portland knew they couldn't afford to lose him. That's why they re-signed him to a four-year, $81 million deal this past offseason, getting him back for the long haul on a respectable contract.
Toumani Camara has been showing out for the Trail Blazers
"He started the year a little bit slowly," Vecenie said. "If you remove his first 15 games of the year, he's shooting 45/38/71%. Whereas in the first 15 games of the year, it was pretty rough there for a minute. He was shooting 39/30/71% in the first 15 games of the year, and he's rebounded to the level I expect. Toumani is a guy that I'm keeping for sure."
This should all be extremely vindicating for Blazers fans to hear. They know what they've been seeing out of Camara, and it's nice to hear others agreeing with them. More importantly, it reinforces why Portland was so confident in committing to him last summer.
Camara fits exactly the type of player this organization needs as it builds toward their goals: reliable and unselfish on defense, and steadily improving offensively. Wings who can guard multiple positions and knock down shots don't come cheap, and they rarely stay under the radar for long. Camara's talent is considerable, and it's quickly becoming undeniable.
If this current trajectory holds, the rest of the league will soon understand why Portland views Toumani Camara as a foundational piece for their future.