Toumani Camara is a second year forward for the Portland Trail Blazers and he has been one of the bright spots on their team this season. Camara was inserted into the starting lineup full time this season and his elite defense is the main reason why he has earned this spot. Camara is one of the league’s most versatile and impactful defenders, and he displays it on a nightly basis. Overall this year Portland has a record of 23-32, which is to be expected from a rebuilding team, but over their last 15 games they are 11-4, which Camara has played a large role in.
Portland is ranked 24th in defense at 115.6 over the entirety of the season, but over their last 15 games they have rocketed up to being the 5th ranked defense, at 110.5. Camara’s defense anchors Portland’s unit, as his size, length and versatility allow him to be plugged in at many different levels and impact the game.
Camara can slide his feet with guards like Damian Lillard on the perimeter, use his strength and body to match up with wings like Franz Wagner, and even use those same skills to match up with big men like Nikola Jokic. Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is not shy about deploying Camara all over the floor, and his help defense is superb as a result of his understanding of the game on that end, along with his length. Camara is 6’8, 220 pounds with a wingspan of 7′ 0.50” and he uses every inch of that to make life brutal for offenses.
Here is an example of Camara’s defensive IQ, and how much ground he can cover. He begins the possession guarding Zach LaVine and after a screen LaVine gets downhill but is trapped between Ayton and Camara. After this, Camara has the footspeed to recover to Nikola Vucevic on the perimeter and he closes out under control and forces Vucevic to pick up his dribble and pass the ball. Camara then digs on the ball and still has the speed to close back out to contest the Vucevic three and force the miss. This play encapsulates how impactful Camara can be on defense and how athletic he is, he covers a lot of ground, and still makes it back to cover his primary matchup.
On this possession, Camara switches off of Anthony Black and onto Franz Wagner. Wagner gives Camara a big bump, with the goal of creating some separation between the two but Camara absorbs it with ease and then uses his length to force the miss on the turnaround jumper. The ability to switch seamlessly while guarding a team’s offensive sets is very impactful, and Camara does this frequently.
Here, he picks up Cory Joseph in the backcourt, and he is sliding with him stride for stride and never gives him an inch of space before forcing the miss. Camara’s footspeed pops out on the film, he can truly defend at all levels of the court.
This play really represents how special of a defender Camara is. He begins the play guarding Nikola Jokic, and after a spin from Jokic and a pass to Zeke Nnaji, Camara rotates over and leaps into the air to reject Nnaji’s layup attempt. After some scrambling around, Denver corrals the offensive rebound and Camara is matched up with Jokic again. He gambles on the entry pass, fails to steal the ball, but he is still able to recover and send Jokic’s shot off the glass. The combination of Camara’s length and athleticism allow him to make special plays like this and be adept in a help defense role.
Coaches actively try to scheme Camara away from their primary actions because he is such a nuisance on defense and often ruins them. He can guard at the point-of-attack, he can guard wings, he can switch onto big men, he can be a helper at the rim, he’s quick on his feet, he can navigate screens, there isn’t much that Camara can not do on the defensive end.
Camara was the 52nd pick in last year’s draft, and he has outperformed his draft slot so far to say the least. He is surely a core member of this Blazers rebuild and he is the type of player that you need on a championship team. His defensive impact will only improve over the years, and he will undoubtedly continue to be one of the best defenders in the NBA.
