NBA Draft prospect Carter Bryant is a fan of Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara’s game.
In an article by The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, the 6-foot-7 freshman forward out of Arizona was asked to compare himself to current NBA players. Bryant mentioned Camara first, saying he watches film of the Portland forward as a primary model for how to guard multiple positions.
“I see myself describing it as almost like a progression. Early in the league, I feel like I’m a guy that can guard multiple positions. Obviously, I want to be able to guard one through five. I feel like I’m capable of guarding one through four now. I need to get a little bit stronger, but eventually I see myself being a guy that can guard all five positions on the floor. I watch a lot of Toumani Camara right now, Trey Murphy. I watch Herb Jones, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White. But I see myself becoming one of the stars in this league, so I watch a lot of film on Kyrie (Irving), Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, as well.”
Bryant’s answer is yet another example of how much Camara’s profile and respect as a defender increased during his second season in the NBA. Just this week, the national media named Camara to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, despite the small-market Blazers finishing with a losing record. Before that high recognition, opposing coaches and players sung Camara’s praise numerous times in press conferences throughout the season. Now, here’s an example of a younger player already looking up to Camara and attempting to model their game after him.
Bryant’s comparison is also noteworthy because he could become a teammate of Camara in the near-future. Most NBA mock drafts have the Arizona Wildcat coming off the board in the late lottery of June’s draft, right around Portland’s selection at No. 11.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor sent Bryant to the Blazers in his latest mock draft, noting how the prospect fits Portland’s defensive vision while adding shooting. (I, for one, could get behind the idea of more shooting).
The Blazers trended way up on defense in the second half of the season, so taking Bryant would serve as a double-down on the team’s newfound identity. Bryant is a rangy, athletic forward who projects as a highly versatile defender. He’s raw on offense, but he shot the hell out of the ball for Arizona in the conference and NCAA tournaments. And his success continued at the draft combine, where he was a standout and is widely considered as a lock to stay in the draft. At this point, it’d be surprising if he returned to Arizona for his sophomore year. If his shooting sustains throughout pre-draft workouts before the early entry deadline May 28, he’ll cement his status as a lottery prospect.
Across 37 games during his lone season at Arizona, Bryant averaged 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals while shooting 46% from the field and 37.1% on 3s. As O’Connor mentioned, Bryant shot better during postseason play, going 10-22 (45.5%) from deep throughout six games between the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments.
