Toumani Camara Becoming the Ultimate Role Player on Increasingly Star-Studded Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers' 134-133 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night may have been too chaotic for many to notice how good Toumani Camara has become in the team's starting lineup.

Camara had yet another well-rounded effort in 2025-26, going for 17 points (6/12 overall, 3/8 from the three-point line), eight rebounds, and five assists. It was the lowest point total in the starting lineup, but Camara tied for the team-high in assists and the highest on-court split (+13) of anyone on the team.

Camara has been a steady force on and off the floor this season. He recently offered a nuanced take of where the team's development is this season amidst a rash of injuries: in a good place overall, but nowhere near consistent enough yet.

"We need to figure out a way to be more consistent," Camara said after practice last Tuesday, via The Rose Garden Report. "We've shown a lot of good things in certain games, and then in other games we just go completely away from it.

"I think mentally, we're in a good space. We're still very together and very connected. We have a lot of things going against us right now, so being able to fight through that and go through that adversity, that's what we need for the stage we're at right now."

That's veteran insight from a third-year player who's had to scratch and claw to earn his keep after being selected in the 2023 NBA Draft's second round and then being included as what many saw as a throw-in to the Deandre Ayton trade two years ago.

Toumani Camara's Development Right on Time After Extension

Unlike the aughts and 2010s, when a payday meant a player was ready to coast until his next contract year, many today aren't looking to take the money and run. Like Jrue Holiday before the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics' championships in 2020-21 and 2023-24, respectively, Camara is performing better after getting financially rewarded.

Camara signed a four-year, $82 million extension that is already looking like a bargain in Rip City. Making 20/49 attempts from beyond the arc in the month of December, Camara is making the leap to elite 3-and-D specialist as we speak. Then again, that he's a shade under three assists per game proves he may soon become more than just a 3-and-D specialist. That area of his game has improved every season.

These conversations are exactly what you want from a player fresh off signing an extension. Camara should prove to be a high-value investment if he can continue on the track he's been on since arriving in Portland.