Oh, I wasn't saying that as a defense of him being a PF--just saying that he's plenty athletic to be a quality NBA forward. I would love for him to be our SFotF.
After reading and listening to the various arguments regarding Grant’s best position for quite some time, he’s better as a PF. He can guard 2-3 positions depending on match-ups. His size, length, athleticism and how he uses them create better mismatches in his favor than at SF. With his mild allergy to rebounding — while he does other NBA skills well — it means the team needs a better rebounding SF and bigs … and the idea of guards who actually value rebounding and blocking out would be a nice chamge. Camara? I have no idea what he can actually do at the NBA level or what he fits … so I’ll wait on him. On Murray, I look at his brother and scale it down just to be realistic … which is LIKELY a pretty conservative estimation of his skills and abilities given how the brothers developed in college.
The thread title is 'Camara is a small forward', and a lot of the framing of him as a prospect was around him as a switchy big. It's likely one of the reasons he fell (that he's a smaller big). But if you dig in, and you watch the tape, you realize he could have the chops to guard both positions.
So we agree......being an undersized SG is not as big of an issue as everyone makes it out to be. You either can defend or you can't, size is not the issue.
I really don't understand the Hart comparison. Josh went to Villanova (which is a borderline blue blood school) where he won a national championship and was a 1st team All American. He shot 39% from 3's for his college career. He is a baller, but was not flying under the radar. 17 26 34 36. Those are the 3 point shooting percentages Camara posted in his 4 years of college. If he can drop 3s at an upper 30s % in the pros, play smart ball and be solid and versatile on D, like Josh he'll make a lot of money the next 10 years Below is a Phoenix article fretting that they shouldn't have moved him... https://valleyofthesuns.com/2023/10/11/phoenix-suns-may-given-soon-former-draft-pick/ STOMP
He’s a lefty too! I’m a fan of left handed players. They play almost an unorthodox style which is herky jerky and harder to guard.
Can Camara defend guards better than Simons? Put him at shooting guard. Simons had 0 assists , 1 rebound and 4 turnovers. He shot the ball well, but so did Camara. Camara had 3 assists and 4 rebounds in 2 1/2 minutes less playing time that Simons.
https://ripcityproject.com/2023/10/...piece-lillard-trade-impresses-billups-praise/ Blazers news: Ignored piece of Lillard trade impresses after Billups’ praise by Andrew Hanlon12 hours ago The Portland Trail Blazers won game one of the 2023-24 season, routing the New Zealand Breakers 106-66 at the Moda Center. Coach Chauncey Billups’ squad was led by 14 points from Anfernee Simons. Scoot Henderson flashed his all-around game, scoring 7 points, hitting a three and collecting 6 assists compared to just 1 turnover. Deandre Ayton, the prize of the Damian Lillard trade, finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds to go along with 2 assists and a pair of steals. The Blazers blew the game open in the second half, outscoring the Breakers 58-27 over the final two quarters behind the team’s group of young reserves, one of whom had a particularly strong night. It probably came as no surprise to Billups, though, who’s already showered this rookie second-round pick with praise. Toumani Camara continues his strong start with the Portland Trail Blazers Ayton was the headliner in the three-team deal that sent Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and Jusuf Nurkic to the Phoenix Suns. Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III were added to the haul after Jrue Holiday was traded to the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, Camara appeared to be nothing more than a throw-in lottery ticket from Phoenix, but the 23-year-old is quickly proving that isn’t the case. The second-round pick from Dayton scored 13 points in fewer than 15 minutes in the win over New Zealand. He shot 5 of 6 from the floor and 2 of 3 from deep while adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Billups has seen this show from Camara already in training camp, though, as he told Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/Oregon Live. I’ve been very impressed with Toumani. He’s just a basketball player. He’s just in the right places. … He just has a good feel about him. He has a toughness about him. Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups on Toumani Camara It wasn’t just one preseason game or a few training camp practices, though. Camara averaged more than 16 points for the Suns in summer league while also pulling down 7 rebounds per game. In his final season at Dayton, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward averaged 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds on 55 percent shooting and 36 percent shooting from three. Heading into June’s draft, Camara was scouted as a big wing with a versatile offensive skill set, something he’s already shown in his first few bites at the NBA apple. Will Camara be as impactful as Ayton, Brogdon or Williams? No. But he’s quickly proving to be much more than a slap-on piece in a mega-trade, and with the opportunity to grow on a young, rebuilding roster, the Blazers may be stumbling into a legitimate rotation forward in the unlikeliest of ways. Published on 10/11/2023 at 7:00 AM PDT Last updated on 10/11/2023 at 7:00 AM PDT
perhaps you're not familiar with the phrase "small amount" Anyway, thanks for the info about Hart. I didn't know that.
Camara actually measured 1/2 inch taller than Grant at the combine. They have the same standing reach of 8' 11". Camara has got the fundamentals and shooting the Blazers need at power forward. Camara will be the rebounder that Grant isn't. At small forward, they have Thuybulle for now, but Rupert could end up being a bigger/longer version of Thybulle. A lineup of Scoot, Sharpe, Thybulle/Rupert, Camara, and Ayton (interchangeable with other mobile/defensive centers) could be pretty good. The chemistry on and off court between the two Europeans who are both French speakers could be a bonus.
As much as I would like to see that happen, the likelihood of us developing three starter-caliber players from the same draft class--two from the second-round, no less--would be exceedingly low. But this season is about nothing if not hope for the future, so I'll join you in thinking how cool that would be.
It’s a marathon and not a sprint. Some people run it faster than others. Scoot will contribute now. Maybe Camara next season and I think it will take Rupes years to find any time in the rotation. But who knows, right? The wild card in all this could be trades. We don’t know if Grant will be here long term. We don’t know about Brogdon or Williams. So there might be more minutes soon lol.
I really like having Walker, Camara and Murray as three plug and play stretch 4s. I think we'll see combinations of two of thes guys on the floor together as the season goes on.
