NBA Draft Scouting Report: Toumani Camara

Dayton forward Toumani Camara will look to be the second Belgian-born player drafted to the NBA behind former first-round pick Frank Ntilikina. He had a strong season dominating the Atlantic 10 as a part of the conference’s leading front-court tandem.

Camara arrived at Dayton after two seasons in the SEC, starting 23 games for Georgia as a freshman alongside current Minnesota Timberwolf Anthony Edwards. After two solid campaigns in Athens, Ga., most notably averaging 12.8 PPG as a sophomore, the 6-foot-7-inch forward took his talents to Ohio. Here, Camara saw a slight down tick in production before really emerging once again in 2022-23.

As a senior, Camara averaged career-highs across the board with 13.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.7 APG and 1.2 SPG, while shooting 55% from the field to earn an All-Conference First Team selection as well as All-Defensive Team honors.

Camara will look to be the next in line of high quality mid-major talent drafted from the A-10, most recently following Vincent Williams Jr. and Bones Hyland from VCU, former Flyers Obi Toppin and Kostas Antetokoumpo, and even DeAndre Bembry of St. Joe’s in 2016.

Measurements

Height: 6 feet, 7 inches

Weight: 220 pounds

Wingspan: 7 feet, 1 inch

Strengths

Athleticism, Offensive Efficiency, Big Frame

During his two seasons in the A-10, Camara was a consistent interior threat using his athleticism to blow by big men and prove a mismatch nightmare for most defenders tasked with guarding him. He certainly isn’t the most athletic player on the court at any given time, but Camara uses his speed and agility well. It’s highly noticeable on the offensive end where he’s an explosive finisher and a solid passer. He is also developing his perimeter skills nicely.

At the NBA level, Camara will be an undersized forward, but he makes up for it with his massive frame, which has helped him to be a physical and daunting player on the defensive end despite shining primarily on offense. Let’s not forget, he is a 2022-23 All-Defensive Team selection in the A-10 who also averaged 1.2 SPG and 1.1 BKPG during his final season in the SEC.

Areas to improve

Consistency, 3-Point Shooting, Turnovers

Despite his increased production across four years of Division I basketball, Camara has struggled to stay consistent from game-to-game. This is best highlighted with his 3-point shooting and turnover percentage. He’s obviously not a primary dribbler or 3-point shooter, but turnover problems in particular are something that’s manifested early in Camara’s career while his 3-point shooting needs development.

Camara managed 2.1 turnovers per game and shot a career-best 36% from behind the arc this past season. However, that’s down from a career-worst 2.6 turnovers per game in 2021-22. Camara’s career 3-point percentage sits at an underwhelming 30%, all of which could spell concern for NBA Scouts.

Projected Draft Range: Second-round pick

While he’s not seen as particularly “elite” at any one specific thing on the basketball court, Camara bolsters a lot of upside with high-level athleticism, solid all-around gameplay, and unmatched physicality. There’s some development that still needs to be done, but Camara’s potential and unique skill set will attract several suitors and could make him an intriguing project into the second-round of the NBA Draft.