The Lakers made sure they got their player in the first round on Tuesday.
Los Angeles made a last-minute trade, moving up one spot to the No. 24 pick to select Cameron Carr, a guard out of Baylor.
It didn’t take much for the Lakers to complete the deal as all they had to do was send some cash to the Knicks for the pick. However, because of the wonderful new CBA, the Lakers will be hard-capped at the second apron by sending out cash in a deal.
Realistically, this was never going to be an issue.
Last season, Carr had a breakout campaign after transferring to Baylor, averaging 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He shot 49.4% from the field and 37.4% 3-point line.
Carr had a number of big games early in the season with a 28-point game and two 27-point games in the first five games of the season. He had a couple of 26-point games late in the season and scored 25 points against Arizona State in the Big 12 tournament. In his last game at Baylor, he struggled from the field, shooting 4-18 from the field, but pulled down 12 rebounds, his third game of the season with double-digit rebounds.
Offense certainly is a strength for Carr. He can score at multiple levels and is a high-level athlete. Any highlight video Lakers fans watch of Carr in the coming hours and days will be full of highlight-reel plays.
An interesting nugget is that Carr and Dalton Knecht were teammates for one season at Tennessee. Carr only played 14 games that season, so he wasn’t much of a factor.
Here’s what Sam Vecenie of The Athletic had to say about Carr:
Offensively, Carr’s game looks like one that should blend perfectly into the NBA. He’s a legitimate 3-point shooter who can attack closeouts, plays well off the ball as a cutter and takes advantage of opportunities as a finisher because of his length. He has the physical height and length NBA teams canvass the globe to find.
The swing skill toward Carr being a positive NBA player is obvious. He needs to get stronger. He needs to play with more bend. He needs to be willing to get more physical. And once that happens, he needs to be much more active and engaged on defense. Some of these things are fixable, as Carr has already done good work on his frame as he has gotten older. He looks a lot like a late bloomer to be excited about, even though he’s already 21.
The Ringer was similarly high on Carr’s offensive ability. Here’s a snippet of their breakdown:
Carr has a few undeniable traits: the largest wingspan-to-height ratio among perimeter players in the draft, NBA-caliber leaping ability, and some of the deepest range in the class. That length and vertical pop could make him an elite weakside rim protector for his size, although his spindly frame and high center of gravity might limit his defensive upside as an on-ball defensive hound.
For a Lakers team that was at such an athleticism deficit last season, Carr is a huge upgrade in that respect. He will also provide the team scoring off the bench, something they lacked much of last season.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
