The Phoenix Suns slipped up massively in their quest to make the playoffs on Tuesday, and are now at risk of creating some seriously unwanted history in the process.
One of the stand-out players for the Portland Trail Blazers in their victory over the Suns was Belgian Toumani Camara, a name fans in Phoenix are sick of hearing about.
Camara's defense on Devin Booker helped Trail Blazers win game
The 25-year-old has quickly established himself as one of the best on-ball defenders in the entire NBA, and his ability to hang with Booker was instrumental in the Trail Blazers pulling out the victory.
Deni Avdija may have gotten all of the plaudits with his 41 points, but the Suns' offense grinding to a halt was in large part due to the play of Camara.
Toumani Camara vs Devin Booker in the 4th quarter.
— Mike Jagacki (@Mike_Jagacki) April 15, 2026
Devin Booker's average 4th Q usage% = 32.6%
In this game = 23.8%
No better defender at limiting a star's touches pic.twitter.com/Cle5PB57nc
As you are likely already painfully aware, Camara was drafted by the Suns and actually had a nice little Summer League display for the franchise.
He never played a meaningful game for the team, as he was added to the package that sent Deandre Ayton packing for Jusuf Nurkic.
A decision that in hindsight was a disaster, even if it did make sense at the time and Ayton had to be sent packing from The Valley.
Quite why Camara was added to that trade has never been confirmed, but it would be surprising if his inclusion was a deal-breaker here.
He was a second round pick who was already 22 when drafted, but that is also likely why the front office had no problem including him either.
The reality however is much more painful, with Camara being one of the deciding factors in the Suns failing to make the playoffs at the first attempt.
Had they won, then a date with the San Antonio Spurs would have been on the cards, and although daunting they had some success defending Victor Wembanyama this season.
Contrast that with what is waiting for them if they squeak by the Golden State Warriors (potentially a better matchup than the L.A. Clippers), a series against a potential dynasty in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
All because Camara was able to make life difficult for Booker down the stretch of a tight game, which collectively led to the Suns' offense grinding to a halt.
Imagine having his defensive intensity alongside Dillon Brooks in place of Ryan Dunn, the Suns would be even further along in their re-tooling around Booker. This continues to look so bad.
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