Toumani Camara

Wheat Hotchkiss

The Pacers officially wrapped up their pre-draft workouts on Monday at the Ascension St. Vincent Center with a two-player workout featuring Pepperdine's Maxwell Lewis and Dayton's Toumani Camara.

The Blue & Gold have been as busy as ever leading up to Thursday night's 2023 NBA Draft. Indiana currently has five picks in this year's draft, including three in the first round.

Monday's workout was the 16th the Pacers have conducted leading up to the draft. The team has brought 62 different players into Indianapolis for those workouts. They held one six-player workout on May 12 before the NBA Draft Combine, but the remaining 15 workouts have taken place over the last three weeks.

"With the number of picks, it's an awesome opportunity to get way more guys in, get to know them," Pacers Vice President of Player Personnel Ryan Carr said about Indiana's busy workout schedule. "...It's been a lot of fun. Just a lot of good kids, getting to know (them) on the court, off the court, spend a lot of time with them."

One of the players Indiana spent some time with on Monday was Lewis, a 6-7 wing who turned pro after a strong sophomore season at Pepperdine. Lewis averaged 17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season for the Waves, where he was a second-team All-West Coast Conference selection.

Lewis scored 20 or more points in 13 games last season, including seven straight contests from Dec. 19 - Jan. 7. Included in that stretch was a 20-point, five-rebound, five-assist outing at Gonzaga and a 30-point, 14-rebound double-double against Pacific.

Lewis is a lengthy wing (his wingspan measured at 7 feet at the combine) and a good athlete (36.5-inch vertical). He excels in transition and also has a reputation as a strong shooter.

The 20-year-old Lewis converted 35.4 percent of his 3-point attempts in college. He was shooting 41 percent from three in late January before closing the season in a 7-for-37 slump from beyond the arc.

With his length and athleticism, he has all the tools to develop into the ideal "3-and-D" wing that teams are always looking for in the draft.

"I make shots off the dribble, catch-and-shoot," Lewis said Monday when asked to describe his game. "I'm really athletic. Maybe I might do a one-foot windmill every now and then on the fastbreak. And I like to play defense. Do a little bit of everything."

Lewis said he studies long and athletic shotmakers like former Pacer Paul George, Mikal Bridges, and Rudy Gay and hopes to impact the game on both ends like those players at the next level.

Since turning pro, Lewis has been focused on getting his body ready for the more physical demands of the pro game. He said he has put on 12-13 pounds since he was in college by expanding his daily regimen to include four meals and two protein shakes. Lewis was listed at 195 pounds in college but weighed in at 207 at the combine.

Because he played at Pepperdine in relative anonymity in the WCC (aside from Lewis, the Waves didn't make many waves this season, going 9-22 and finishing in last place in the conference), Lewis feels like he has more to prove during the pre-draft process.

"Just thinking about a lot of Power Five guys that went to Kentucky, Arkansas, those guys looking at me like, 'Oh, this guy's from (a) mid-major,'" Lewis said. "I for sure have got a chip on my shoulder. I've got a lot to prove still. They say it's easy to get to the league, it's hard to stay. Just keeping a chip on my shoulder and just working, staying in the gym."

For what it's worth, the WCC has started to produce NBA talent from programs outside of Gonzaga. Jalen Williams out of Santa Clara went to Gonzaga with the 12th overall pick last season and finished as runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting. This year, both Lewis and Santa Clara guard Brandin Podziemski are considered potential first-round picks.

Lewis' projected range in the draft happens to fall right where the Pacers have several picks. ESPN currently has him ranked 31st on its draft board. Indiana owns the 26th, 29th, and 32nd overall selections.

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Maxwell Lewis One-on-One Interview (June 19, 2023)

In Monday's workout, Lewis went head-to-head with Camara, a 6-8 forward back for his second workout in Indiana. Camara previously worked out for the Pacers on June 2 as part of a six-player workout.

For his part, Camara was impressed with Lewis' game.

"Really big frame, long arms and really athletic," he said. "He shoots the ball really well. I think he's got a lot of upside. I feel like his game is not fully developed, he's got a (lot of potential)."

Camara is a 6-8, 220-pound forward from Belgium who spent two years at Georgia playing for Tom Crean before transferring to Dayton. He spent the last two years with the Flyers and was named to both the All-Atlantic 10 first team and the A-10 All-Defensive team last season, when he averaged 13.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.

Camara led the conference in rebounding and recorded seven double-doubles on the season. He had some monster performances in the Atlantic-10 Tournament, including a 17-point, 18-rebound, four-steal performance in a quarterfinal win over St. Joseph's and a 28-point (on 12-of-13 shooting), seven-board outing in a semifinal victory over Fordham.

He was the only player this year that the Pacers elected to bring back for a second workout, an infrequent occurrence but something that does happen on occasion.

"It's a dream," Camara said of being back in Indiana for the second time in a matter of weeks. "Being able to get invited at least one time it's already a good feeling. I've been dreaming about this since I'm seven. I can't imagine a better situation to get invited a second time.

"I'm thinking it means that I did a good job the first time. They want to see me a little more, analyze my game a little bit. I take a lot of pride (in) that."

Some of the feedback Camara received from his first workout was to stay committed defensively, so he focused heavily on that end in Monday's workout with Lewis.

Camara has been particularly busy over the past month. Monday was his 17th workout with an NBA team. The Pacers were actually the second team to bring him back for a second workout, as he also had two workouts with Boston.

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Toumani Camara One-on-One Interview (June 2, 2023)

As the Pacers now turn their focus to draft night, they have an array of potential paths they could go down. Indiana currently has 12 players under contract for next season, leaving only three open spots on its 15 man roster, plus three two-way contracts.

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said at his postseason press conference and again after the lottery that he doesn't necessarily envision adding five rookies to an already young Indiana roster, but it's nearly impossible to forecast in advance how draft night will unfold.

"The more options, the better," Carr said Monday. "The more picks, the more things you can do with it, more opportunities...There's going to be good players at each of those picks. We're excited if it goes that way.

"If other things come up and that's the best interest of building this team, then I'm sure Kevin and (general manager) Chad (Buchanan), that's what they'll do."

The Pacers' top pick in this year's draft is the seventh overall selection. If the Blue & Gold keep the pick, it will be their second-highest pick since 1989. The only time Indiana has picked higher over that span is last season, when the Pacers drafted Bennedict Mathurin sixth overall.

That choice worked out well for Indiana, as Mathurin finished second among all rookies in scoring and was the first Pacer to be named to the All-Rookie first team since Rik Smits in 1988-89.

"The one thing about Benn is he wants to be great...That really was apparent from the first time that we ever talked to him," Carr said. "He is determined to be as great as he can be. We want players that want to be like that.

"Last year was the highest pick that we had in a long time and this year is just one pick behind it and we want another player that wants to be great. We go into this looking at these lottery picks (thinking) they need to be big pieces for us. They need to be great players for us and that's what we're looking for."

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Ryan Carr Media Availability (June 19, 2023)

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Pacers Wrap Up Busy Workout Schedule, Turn Attention to Draft Night

Dayton forward Toumani Camara spoke to media following his pre-draft workout on Monday.

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Toumani Camara Media Availability (June 19, 2023)

indkgrand

Dayton forward Toumani Camara talked about today's workout & what it would mean to realize his NBA dream after leaving Belgium at a young age to pursue basketball. Pacers draft coverage is presented by NerdWallet.

Height: 6-8Weight: 220Position: FCollege: DaytonAge: 23

2022-23 Season StatsPPG: 13.9RPG: 8.6APG: 1.7BLK: 0.8STL: 1.2

2022-23 (Junior)• Was team captain throughout the season• One of&nbsp;two team reps on UD's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee• Started all 34 games, one of two players to start every single game during the season• Finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 ppg• Led the team as well as the entire A-10&nbsp;in rebounding with 8.6 a game&nbsp;• Shot 95-175 (54%) from the field along with 18-43 (42%) from three in A-10 play• Led UD in steals (42) and was second in blocked shots (28)• Had three straight double-doubles during conference play, during that stretch he averaged 18.3 ppg and 14 rpg• Added eight total double-doubles on the season• Scored a season-high 31 points in an overtime win vs Loyola Chicago• Set an A-10 tournament single-game record for FG% by making 12 of 13 shots in the Fordham win• Had 15+ points in 16 games and 10+ rebounds in 12 games during the season• Earned NABC All-District Honors• Earned First Team All-Atlantic 10 and All-Defensive Team recognitions, while being the only player in the conference to be in the top 20 for both steals and blocked shots• Named CollegeAdvantage&nbsp;Student-Athlete Of The Week, Dec. 7, Jan. 26, Feb. 15, and A-10 Player of the Week Feb. 13• Named to the Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament Team

2021-22 (Sophomore)• Named Third Team All-Atlantic 10• Started 34 of the teams 35 games, missing one with an injury• Finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.9 ppg• Led the team in rebounding with 6.9 a game.&nbsp; Winner of&nbsp;the "Shorty" Sharpenter Memorial Rebounding Trophy• Shot 16-35 (46%) from three in A-10 play• Tallied 14 points (6-9 FG) and a team-high seven rebounds in Dayton's win over Kansas• Notched five double-doubles, and scored at least 15 eight times• Named the Ohio College Advantage&nbsp;Student-Athlete of the Week during the week of Nov. 15-21• Was the team's nominee for the Most Outstanding Leader award at the 2022 RUDYS• White Allen Co-Most Valuable Player recipient• Named the winner of the James G. and Purcell S. Palmer Scholarship

2019-21 (Freshman and sophomore seasons at Georgia)• Saw action in 57 games in two seasons at Georgia, and started the last 48 games he played&nbsp;• As a sophomore, Camara averaged 12.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 28.4 minutes of action• An outstanding defensive player, he had 28 of the team's 64 blocks, 30 steals and 205 deflections• He led the team in rebounds, blocked shots and deflections, and was third for the Bulldogs in the other categories• His eight double-doubles tied for the most in the SEC• In 2020-21, he nearly doubled his freshman averages of 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds a game

High School&nbsp;• Camara represented his home country of Belgium in the FIBA U16 European championships in 2016, and then moved to the United States to attend high school• Was a four-year varsity player, four-star recruit and team captain for Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Fla., and was named First Team 5A All-Florida State as a senior• Averaged a double-double as a junior and senior at Chaminade-Madonna• As a senior, he averaged 24.3 points (while shooting 58 percent from the field), 10.4 rebounds, as well as 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks per game for the Lions&nbsp;• Led Chaminade-Madonna to a 21-7 record and the "Sweet 16" round of the Florida Class 5A state tournament in 2019• As a junior, he averaged 21.0 points and 12.0 boards per game

Personal• Son of Anne Le Docte&nbsp;• Has a brother – Tidiane Camara&nbsp;• Majoring in General Studies• AAU Teams were South Florida Elite and Team Knight&nbsp;• High School Coach was Andre Torres

Toumani Camara

Pacers Wrap Up Busy Workout Schedule, Turn Attention to Draft Night

Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Toumani Camara Media Availability (June 19, 2023)

Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Toumani Camara One-on-One Interview (June 2, 2023)

Toumani Camara: 2023 Draft Prospect