The Portland Trail Blazers almost advanced in the NBA Cup on Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs. Deni Avdija did his best to carry Portland, but there is a problem brewing for the Blazers. Within Tiago Splitter’s system, Toumani Camara‘s shooting has become a major issue.
Camara’s Shooting Struggles Have Become a Blazers Problem
Entering the 2025-26 season, most NBA fans expected the Portland Trail Blazers to be a tough defensive team. With Toumani Camara spearheading their defense, they could match up against any team in the league.
Before the season, the Blazers tied him down to a long-term deal alongside Shaedon Sharpe. Unfortunately, Camara has had a dip in form in the 2025-26 season.
In the 2024-25 campaign, he earned a spot in the All-Defensive Second Team. This season, he has not been that effective on defense. It gets worse because he is also struggling mightily with his three-point shot. Considering many people considered him a budding 3-and-D wing, this is a big blow.
Camara’s Lack of Offensive Impact is a Blazers Problem
While Camara is averaging a career-high of 12.1 points per game, he is not at his most effective. The Belgian forward works best when he moves off the ball and capitalizes on cuts.
Camara is also a superb option when playing in the pick-and-roll. With his length and strength, Camara can play as the roller. At the same time, he has a solid basketball IQ as a short-roll playmaker.
Toumani Camara is rightfully known for his elite wing defense, but his offensive skills are crucial to him being an high-level role player.
Really like the driving and playmaking chops he shows, in addition to shooting 37% from 3. pic.twitter.com/PAQHmFsggZ
— Sportscasting NBA (@SportcastingNBA) February 26, 2025
Nowadays, he still moves off the ball. However, he is not as effective because his shooting has plummeted. Camara was taking 4.6 threes a game in the 2024-25 season, making 37.5% of them. This season, Camara is taking 6.6 threes a night, only making 31.9% of them.
Something has to change with Camara’s offensive role in Tiago Splitter’s system. It is also starting to affect his defensive performance, which has hurt his reputation as an underrated player.
Camara’s Shooting Can Be More Consistent
Considering he was shooting at a better clip last season, it has been bizarre to see Camara’s inefficiency. He is getting good looks from his teammates’ passes, but he is not making them. Camara might need more shooting reps in practice, but he also must be more decisive.
Blazers fans have noticed that Camara has had many possessions of doing too many jab steps. He tends to shoot ill-advised threes after those jab steps. Camara makes them at times, but he should not do it as often as he does.
With his athleticism, Toumani could drive into the paint and kick out. However, he is taking too many threes when he is not efficient. His teammate, Sharpe, has seen that his own three-point shooting has not been effective, either.
That led to Sharpe making more drives and imploding the opponents’ defense. If Camara can be more aggressive, he could generate more points for himself and opportunities for teammates.
Camara must pick his spots and work on his shot during practice. He can hit those shots, but he must understand he can be more dynamic on offense.
Splitter’s System Needs to Be More Diverse
The Blazers have only played 18 games under interim head coach Tiago Splitter. He needs to set them up better on offense. Relying on Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Jerami Grant all the time is well and good. However, that won’t get them very far against a good defense.
Of course, the Blazers have played without a point guard for a good chunk of the season. When Jrue Holiday was playing, the offense flowed much better. Even without a true point guard like Holiday or Scoot Henderson, the rest of the team should be running plays.
If Splitter can give his team reliable offensive sets beyond the pick-and-roll, everyone can play much better. Camara will benefit from that, as he is a smart player. He will get more open shots that way, which can help build his rhythm.
Splitter’s system can resolve all the issues Blazers fans have with Camara’s shooting. This gives them a massive boost for resolving their offense, which is a long-standing Blazers problem.
© Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
The post Camara’s Shooting Struggles Have Become a Blazers Problem appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.