Back in 2023, the Phoenix Suns went all-in on competing for a championship. They wanted to maximize their duo of Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker, and had an unhappy DeAndre Ayton on their roster at the time. The Suns wanted to upgrade their frontcourt with a better fit.
Phoenix ended up trading Ayton to Portland for Jusuf Nurkic as part of the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade. The Suns also attached Toumani Camara to the deal, who was their second round pick at the time. Camara never suited up in the Valley.
deeThe Nurkic move turned into an abject disaster for Phoenix, as he was a poor defensive fit, and was a step slow in all aspects of the game. The Suns ended up getting boat raced by the Timberwolves in the playoffs, and then missed the playoffs altogether last year. The big reason for that has been their defense, which has been below-average the last two seasons.
As for Camara, he has developed into one of the best defenders in the league, earning All-Defensive second team honors last year. It was a huge misstep by Phoenix to trade him away, and Camara is only scratching the surface.
Toumani Camara is set to take another leap this season
Camara had a career year in his second season. He averaged 11 points per game, six rebounds, and nearly two steals per game. He also showed significant improvement on his jumpshot, knocking down 38 percent of his threes on five attempts per game.
Camara really upped his game after the All-Star break last year, averaging nearly 14 PPG with a true-shooting percentage of 60 percent, and shot 40 percent from three. He looked more confident offensively, and still maintained his elite defensive chops.
Camara has tremendous versatility on that end. He can keep up with shifty guards, and isn’t afraid to mix it up with more physical forwards thanks to his length at 6’8”, and 220 pound frame. As he continues to mature physically, his defense will only get better.
Camara will cement himself further as one of the NBA's best defenders
Camara burst onto the scene last year but has another level to get to. As part of a budding young core in Portland, which now has the steadying veteran presence of Jrue Holiday, Camara is primed to take another step.
In addition to that, Holiday’s mentorship will be vital for the young Camara, as Holiday has been one of the more elite defenders in the NBA for the last decade.
Camara will very much be in the All-Defensive conversation once again this year, and with the Blazers being ready to compete in a tough West, he should get more national recognition this season.