There are quite some names to look out for with the Los Angeles Lakers this upcoming season. With an almost completely new look, several players will be in the spotlight — the tax for playing for one of the league’s most storied franchises.
Even rookies won’t be left out. Cameron Carr has already been making waves in and around camp. At the Lakers’ start-of-season press conference, both general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick praised the young forward.
Redick later on at the Lakers media day backed up his praise for Carr by teasing whether he will play a decent role in the season.
“We see a player in Cam; we’re really excited about him,” Redick said Thursday.
Carr will be playing his first year as a pro on a roster that is currently highly competitive to get stable minutes excluding the main core starters.
Lakers Head Coach Reveals Excitement for Cameron Carr
Carr was drafted at No. 24 in the 2026 NBA draft. The Lakers, who originally held the No. 25 pick, had to make a trade to get the Baylor product. He could have gone much higher than he was selected if not for his first two college seasons. His Baylor run helped skyrocket his stock.
The early signs from the summer league to pre-training camp have been impressive to Redick, who sees the young player as a potentially important piece.
“He picks up things quick, so (I am) very confident that he’ll have a lot of opportunities this year,” Redick added.
At Baylor, Carr had an impressive junior year as he set a sophomore scoring record and had the fifth most points in a season in the program’s history. He also led the Bears in blocks.
At 21 years old, Carr is already more experienced than most rookies, having spent three seasons in the NCAA. His first two years in Tennessee weren’t memorable after he was redshirted in his second year due to injury.
Carr was a former teammate of Dalton Knecht, and they will be teammates in purple and gold.
How Carr Can Break into a Consistent Role
Carr has NBA heritage, his father Chris Carr is a former NBA guard. If anything was passed on, the athleticism could be a bonus. The elder Carr was once a Slam Dunk Contest runner-up behind Kobe Bryant.
At 6-foot-5, Carr has the guard as well as the wing tools, which makes him a versatile player. He will likely be used from the bench and can fill in guard minutes and also in the small forward position. The Lakers are stacked either way, which makes rotational minutes very crucial to non-starters.
The Lakers haven’t enjoyed much success with recent rookies. Even Austin Reaves, who was decent in his first season, was undrafted. It goes without saying that the franchise will hope that Carr breaks that cycle.
Time will tell if Carr can carve a solid role and be trusted by Redick. For now, all eyes will be on training camp and preseason.
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