![\"Lakers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-2284581548-e1783687699120.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Lakers draft pick Cameron Carr during the 2026 California Classic<\/p>\n
Expectations are growing around Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> rookie Cameron Carr<\/a> heading into the 2026-27 NBA season following an impressive Summer League and preseason debut.<\/p>\n The Lakers selected Carr with the No. 24 pick in the 2026 NBA<\/a> Draft after the talented wing slipped further than many anticipated on draft night.<\/p>\n His unexpected slide immediately raised suggestions that Los Angeles had secured one of the biggest steals of the first round.<\/p>\n It appears NBA executives share that optimism, with Carr receiving the joint-fifth-most votes in the league\u2019s annual general manager survey<\/a> when asked which rookie would prove to be the biggest steal of the draft.<\/p>\n Lakers Rookie Cameron Carr Earns Recognition From NBA Executives<\/p>\n Carr received 7% of the votes, trailing only Brayden Burries<\/a> (30%), Allen Graves<\/a> (10%), Labaron Philon<\/a> (10%), and Meleek Thomas<\/a> (10%).<\/p>\n The Lakers rookie finished tied for fifth alongside Cameron Boozer<\/a>, Chris Cenac Jr.<\/a>, Yaxel Lendeborg<\/a>, and Caleb Wilson<\/a>.<\/p>\n Los Angeles has struggled with wing depth in recent seasons, but its roster looks considerably different heading into the new campaign.<\/p>\n Free-agent additions Quentin Grimes<\/a>, Matisse Thybulle<\/a>, and Ziaire Williams<\/a> have strengthened the rotation, while second-year forward Adou Thiero<\/a> will look to take another step forward<\/a> alongside Carr further down the pecking order.<\/p>\n Despite being just 21 and facing considerable competition for minutes, there is already optimism that Carr could force his way into head coach JJ Redick\u2019s rotation during his rookie season.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-5 wing could spend time developing in the G League, although opportunities at the NBA level may arise as Redick manages his rotation throughout the regular season.<\/p>\n Across seven appearances between the California Classic and Las Vegas, Carr averaged<\/a> 17.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 1.1 combined steals and blocks.<\/p>\n His shooting efficiency was mixed, finishing at 42.3% from the field and 29.2% from three-point range. However, inconsistency is hardly unusual for a rookie adjusting to the frantic pace of Summer League basketball.<\/p>\n Encouragingly, Carr averaged just 0.7 turnovers per contest and completed three games without committing a single turnover.<\/p>\n Carr Faces Important Challenge After Promising Summer League<\/p>\n Carr surpassed 20 points on two occasions during Summer League, emerging as one of the Lakers\u2019 standout performers and outperforming prospects selected ahead of him.<\/p>\n Given those performances, his recognition among NBA general managers is hardly surprising. The rookie has repeatedly showcased the scoring ability and athleticism that made him such an intriguing first-round prospect.<\/p>\n The 21-year-old has seen limited action during the preseason, appearing in just two games against the Sacramento Kings<\/a> and Golden State Warriors<\/a>, with injury concerns keeping him sidelined for the remaining contests.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, Carr flashed his potential against Sacramento, scoring<\/a> 19 points in just 22 minutes off the bench. He shot 7-of-13 from the field, knocked down three three-pointers, and added three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.<\/p>\n Despite those encouraging performances, translating his potential into consistent NBA minutes will likely depend on his development at the defensive end.<\/p>\n Standing 6-foot-5 with a reported 42-inch vertical leap and 7-foot-1 wingspan, Carr possesses the physical tools to become an impactful two-way player.<\/p>\n How quickly he learns to use those attributes defensively could determine how much trust Redick places in him during the early stages of the season.<\/p>\n There is a potential pathway for Carr to crack the rotation immediately, although expectations should remain measured.<\/p>\n Dalton Knecht<\/a>\u2018s trajectory offers a recent reminder of how quickly circumstances can change for a young player. After making an encouraging early impact as a rookie, his development has since stalled heading into his third season.<\/p>\n Carr has already provided plenty of reasons for optimism, and the recognition from NBA executives only adds to the excitement surrounding his potential.<\/p>\n The next challenge will be turning an impressive summer into consistent production when the regular season begins.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMatt Evans<\/a> is a sports journalist from the United Kingdom, based in Paris, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA and wider global sport. More about Matt Evans<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Lakers draft pick Cameron Carr during the 2026 California Classic Expectations are growing around Los Angeles Lakers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":930340,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-930339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=930339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/930340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=930339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=930339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=930339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}