Toumani Camara came away highly impressed after getting an opportunity to guard Damian Lillard during offseason workouts at the Portland Trail Blazers legend’s home.
Lillard invited Camara to train with him in July, with the sessions taking place on a full basketball court at the 36-year-old guard’s Portland home. After going against Lillard in full-court games, Camara told The Athletic that the veteran’s ability remains difficult to handle despite his return from a major injury.
“Impressive,” Camara said when asked about his impression of Lillard. “Very, very impressive.”
Camara has established himself as one of Portland’s leading defenders during his first three NBA seasons. The 26-year-old has received All-Defensive votes in each of his three seasons and was selected to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2024-25.
That experience includes assignments against some of the NBA’s most difficult offensive players, including LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jamal Murray and Tyrese Maxey. Even with that defensive background, Camara said Lillard stood out during their workouts.
“I think the most impressive thing for me was his first step, his speed, especially coming back from that injury,” Camara said. “He was just very hard to guard all around.”
Camara went as far as placing Lillard among the five toughest players he has defended in the NBA.
“He has so many ways to get around you,” Camara said. “He has mastered his game and mastered his body, and no matter how good of a defender you are, when somebody has mastered their game, they are going to get wherever they want. You just have to hope they miss the shot.”
Lillard has been one of the NBA’s premier scoring guards throughout his career, averaging 25.1 points and 6.7 assists over 900 regular-season games. He has made eight All-Star teams and seven All-NBA teams, including first-team honors in 2017-18.
His most recent NBA season came in 2024-25 with the Milwaukee Bucks, when he averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists while shooting 37.6% from three-point range. He missed the entire 2025-26 season after suffering an Achilles injury.
Camara was also surprised by another aspect of Lillard’s game during their workouts: his defense.
“There’s one other thing,” Camara said after pausing while describing Lillard’s offensive game. “Surprisingly, I would say one of the things that I saw a lot of improvement, compared to the other times I’ve seen him, is defensively … like, he really wanted to guard. He was boxing out, doing all the little things. To me, that might have been some of the most impressive stuff.”
Lillard’s return gives Portland another veteran presence as the franchise enters a new season with a significantly reshaped roster. The Trail Blazers acquired Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies in June and are expected to feature a crowded backcourt alongside Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday.
For Camara, however, the offseason workouts provided a direct reminder of what Lillard can bring when he returns to the court.
