The Los Angeles Lakers may require more from rookie Cameron Carr in his debut season after some offseason changes. Losses of Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart could see Carr being forced to step up faster than expected. LeBron James and a few other players leaving will open more playing time for new roster members, including the first-round draft pick from Baylor. The first two Summer League games from Carr impressed fans to create more excitement in his progress.
Sunday’s California Classic Summer League game featured Carr putting up the following stats:
26 points
8 rebounds
7 of 16 FG
4 of 9 Three-Point FG
+9
The Lakers won an exciting game against the Miami Heat’s Summer League squad thanks to Anton Watson hitting a buzzer beater. However, it was Carr to gain the most attention by looking like the best player on the court for either team.
Today’s first round picks are more valuable than ever before since the cheaper contract for the first few seasons can improve a good team’s depth. The Lakers will hope to see Carr perform like this in the regular season to ensure their depth. Playing time will be there for Carr and a few other younger talents hoping to develop chemistry with Luka Doncic.
What Lakers Want From Cameron Carr
Most of the offseason changes for the Lakers have already taken place after spending so much money in a short time. The Lakers added Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton to their roster all within the span of a few hours last week.
Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili and the drafted rookies make up the rest of the new names. As it currently stands, Carr would be competing with Mamukelashvili, Dalton Knecht, and Jarred Vanderbilt for reserve minutes. Austin Reaves, Doncic, Grimes, and Sexton will likely split most of the guard playing time.
Carr could viably get into the Lakers rotation if he looks as good in the regular season as he’s looked in Summer League so far. The Lakers have hoped to improve their youth, so expect Carr to get chances from JJ Redick to prove he belongs.
Big Free Agent Could Ruin Cameron Carr’s Rookie Season
The one potential roadblock in Carr’s way of playing time would see the Lakers signing one more name to join the rotation. Free agent Jonathan Kuminga has been rumored to be on the Lakers radar if they can free up more cap space or if he’s willing to take a smaller deal.
Kuminga would likely harm Carr’s chances of playing time since Jake LaRavia would move to the bench. Rui Hachimura is still a free agent that could return to the Lakers if both parties can’t find a better scenario over the next week or two.
Carr currently has a strong path towards playing time in his rookie season, but one move can quickly change things. Lakers fans should take today’s performance as a positive sign either way. The talent level of Carr is good enough to contribute if he works hard and can find the right role in the NBA.
Lakers Rookie Cameron Carr Dominates Summer League Game