Toumani Camara leads the league in drawn charges and is constantly taking on the challenge of guarding the opposing team's best player. Defense is the aspect of Camara's game that Portland Trail Blazers fans all know and love, and for good reason, as he possesses legitimate All-Defensive Team potential.
Camara has also improved his three-point shooting this season, making 35.8 percent. His growth as a 3-and-D wing has played a significant role in the Blazers' improvement this season. But there's more to Camara's offensive skillset that some may overlook.
Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report joined Adam Mares on the ALL NBA Podcast, where the two covered the new-look Los Angeles Lakers and did a deep dive on the Blazers.
In addition to his elite defense, Camara is starting to figure things out on the offensive end, as Highin notes. "When he was in the rotation last year, he was a defense-only guy, and whatever you got from him on offense is a bonus. That's starting to not be the case anymore. He's starting to develop some things in his game on that end."
Toumani Camara continues to expand his offensive arsenal
Highkin highlights playmaking and shooting consistency as key areas where Camara has significantly improved. He wants to see a larger sample size before officially declaring him a 3-and-D player but notes that Camara is well on his way to becoming that much-needed piece for the Blazers.
As a rookie, Camara shot 33.7 percent from beyond the arc. Not only has his percentage increased to 35.8 this season, but Camara has also upped his volume from 2.5 to 4.1 attempts a game. He's shooting the ball much more confidently, which will be huge for the Blazers' young core, where shooting remains a weakness. Scoot Henderson and Deni Avdija hover around the league average for their position, while Shaedon Shapre is struggling with his shot in his third season, making threes at a 31.2 percent clip.
Time will tell if Camara's three-point shooting is here to stay. Besides his age, another reason he fell to the No. 52 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was concerns surrounding his offensive limitations. It's difficult to stick around in the league as a wing if you can't effectively space the floor, and Camara shot just 30.7 percent from three and 63.1 percent from the free throw line during his four-year collegiate career.
However, in college, his three-point shooting gradually progressed each season. Camara improved from 17.2 to 26.3 percent from his freshman to sophomore year at Georgia. Then, in his two seasons at Dayton, he jumped from 33.8 to 36.3 percent. The eye test and linear progression suggest that Camara's shooting is here to stay, and he should be considered Portland's long-term 3-and-D wing.
Even if Camara's three-point shooting regresses, his underrated cutting ability is invaluable for Portland's offense
But even if that aspect of his game regresses, Camara is still impactful enough on offense with his underrated cutting ability, as Mares notes.
His ability to move without the ball has been refreshing for a Blazers' offense that is oftentimes too stagnant. Players like Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, and Deandre Ayton are too one-dimensional and at their best when they create shots for themselves. Camara is a piece that every team needs as an elite role player who can contribute to winning without needing the ball.
Combine Camara's stout defense with his playmaking, cutting, and shooting, and you can make a case that he's been the Blazers' best player this season. And according to Highkin, he has been.