the other thing i'm noticing is that they're targeting guys who arent going to try to take loads of touches away from ant, scoot, sharpe, grant and ayton. they're gathering wings and will say 'whoever can 1. play defense, and if you can do that, 2. make 3s consistently—you'll get minutes.' love watford but whenever he started to play free jazz while shaedon stood in the corner I shook my head. know who your creators are, and put smart defenders/shooters around them. just as a baseline. (this is no diss to shot creators; we'll need plenty of them, but when you're in development mode when everyone is a shot creator it makes it a tick harder)
I found the Athletic's massive pre-draft guide and looked him up. Here's what it said: 67. Toumani Camara F | Dayton | Birthdate: May 8, 2000 (Age: 23) | 6-7 | 220 LBS | Hometown: Brussels, Belgium BACKGROUND Mother is Anne. Grew up in Belgium then moved to the United States in 2016 after he competed in the FIBA U16 European Championships. Played high school basketball for four years in the United States. Attended Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory and became a dominant player by the time he was an upperclassman. Averaged a double-double both seasons and earned all-state honors as a senior. Was a consensus four-star recruit who was right around the top 100 nationally in his recruiting class. Originally attended Georgia, committing to the program over Dayton, Kansas State, Minnesota and others. Camara was good for Georgia and started to be looked at as an interesting draft prospect as a sophomore after averaging 13 points and eight rebounds. Chose to transfer following that sophomore season and quickly committed to Dayton, a school that recruited him out of high school. Was an all-conference player immediately, earning second-team honors as a junior and then first-team All-Atlantic- 10 honors as a senior. Was among the best two-way players in the conference. Decided not to use his extra year of eligibility following the pandemic and instead turned pro. Attended the Portsmouth Invitational, where he was one of the best players in attendance. Based in large part off that performance, Camara was invited to the 2023 NBA Draft Combine. STRENGTHS Camara has essentially a perfect frame for a four in today’s NBA. He’s a powerful 6-foot-7 in shoes with a 7-foot wingspan on a physical 220 pounds. Has an 8-foot-11 standing reach that will allow him to play at the four easily. A well-rounded player who looks the part and does a little bit of everything well. Camara is probably most interesting on defense, where he is a genuine YEAR TEAM LEAGUE AGE GP PPG RPG APG TOPG BPG SPG FG% 3P% FT% 2019-20 Georgia NCAA (SEC) 19 32 6.6 4.3 0.7 1.6 0.6 0.6 49.4 17.2 62.5 2020-21 Georgia NCAA (SEC) 20 25 12.8 7.7 1.6 2.4 1.1 1.2 48.6 26.3 62.1 2021-22 Dayton NCAA (A-10) 21 34 10.9 6.9 1.6 2.6 0.8 0.8 51.0 33.8 59.1 2022-23 Dayton NCAA (A-10) 22 34 13.0 8.6 1.7 2.1 0.8 1.2 54.6 36.3 66.9 2023 NBA DRAFT GUIDE 169 multi-positional player who can switch across a few different spots and really slide his feet while using his length to contest. Solid switchability. Completely reliable as a help defender and generally does a good job of creating turnovers with his length, averaging 1.2 steals per game. He’s a good rebounder on both ends of the court. On offense, he keeps things simple while being productive. He runs the floor well. If he gets an open 3, he’ll take it, making 36.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s this past season. He finds smart cutting angles either from behind the 3-point line or by camping out in the dunker spot waiting for a dump-off. He’s a good finisher at the rim, having made 64.6 percent of his half-court chances there this past season. He’s not an incredible passer, but he’s unselfish and keeps it moving. He can set screens and roll to the rim, or he can pick-and-pop. Camara is one of those guys who doesn’t need the ball all that often to find production, and that’s valuable in conjunction with his defense. WEAKNESSES I’m not totally sure Camara has enough perimeter skill to play the four in today’s NBA. Was efficient when he got the ball in good spots and is excellent at finding those areas. But he isn’t all that comfortable handling the ball either. Had a negative assistto- turnover ratio. Is essentially a straight-line driver without a ton of burst in terms of first step and with a very square frame. Doesn’t seem to have great hip flexibility. More of a functional athlete than a truly explosive one. Dayton essentially used him as a second big next to DaRon Holmes this past season. Also, Camara was a good shooter this past season, but this was the first year he cracked the coveted 35 percent barrier, and he did it on only 80 attempts. There will be some real skeptics of just how good of a shooter Camara truly is as he enters the NBA. He got better every single season of his collegiate career, so you have hope this is real. He’ll need to prove it. SUMMARY It’s easy to sell yourself on a 6-foot-7 player without shoes who has a 7-foot wingspan and plays solid, switchable defense. In the NBA today, there might be no easier player type to sell yourself on. Camara is certainly worth a two-way flier, given his frame, defense and potential to shoot it. But I can’t quite get to guarantee level given that he is still a bit limited off the bounce, a bit limited as a passer and a questionable shooter. If you’re looking to invest in a draft prospect who could help you sooner rather than later if the shot comes through, Camara is a good one to take a flier on.
NBA draft workout tracker 2023: Where prospects have visited (usatoday.com) Looks like Camara worked out so there was some interest pre-draft. Only had seen highlights before so watched a couple of his SL games. Kinda reminds me of Larry Nance Jr. with a little less size and pop. Good finisher/rebounder, good hands, moves without the ball well, sets screens...if the shooting is real, he's something. Could contribute a little right away. Think he moves a little better than Larry on the perimeter defensively.
Portland obviously has needs at forward. Maybe the Jrue trade will fill the void, but if not he'll be vying for minutes. If he can continue to knock down open 3's at a 37% his chances of earning a regular role are good STOMP
Belgium is close to France. maybe we get another surprise starter by a rookie at SF. Batum was a lot skinier but he was 3 years younger. Still, 220 lbs is a good weight for a SF these days. Love his video.
Rayan Rupert is actually French and the youngest Trail Blazer born May 31 , 2004. He's a tenacious defender and almost-insane workaholic/practiceaholic. He's 6' 7" with a 7-foot wingspan so I think he'll eventually he'll find some playing time as a point-of-attack defender. Those two guys, Rupert, and Camara, could be the forwards of the future.
Yeah eventually for sure. But right now he weighs in at 185. So he has a ways to go. But like you said....he is young.
