Blazers Rookie Gets Brutal End-of-Season Update

Camara has started in 49 of the 70 games that Portland has played this season.

In those contests, the 23-year-old has averaged 8.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 26.4 minutes per game, shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from 3. In his last four contests, Camara was even better. Shouldering a larger scoring role while Deandre Ayton was out with left elbow tendinitis, Camara averaged 14.0 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.8 stocks per game, shooting 55.0 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from 3.

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A second-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Dayton, Camara was originally set to play for the Phoenix Suns. However, Camara became a trade piece in the Damian Lillard deal. The Suns sent him and Ayton to the Blazers while Portland sent Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. Phoenix received sharpshooter Grayson Allen from the Bucks and former Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic. Several first-round picks traded hands as well.

Veteran guard Jrue Holiday also landed with Portland in the blockbuster deal but was eventually traded to the Boston Celtics. In return, the Celtics sent the Blazers a trade package consisting of Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III, and two first-round picks.

So far, the Celtics have achieved their goal, leading the NBA at 58-16. Indeed, they may become the league’s only 60-win team this season. The jury is still out on the Bucks, who are second in the East at 47-27 but winning at a lower rate than last season.

The Blazers should also be satisfied with the return from their trades. Ayton has come to life in the PDX. On paper, Brogdon and Williams will supplement the rotation nicely when Portland is at full strength. Meanwhile, Camara’s multi-positional defense has been exemplary. If he becomes a dependable 3-point threat, he could be in the league for a decade-plus.