Los Angeles Lakers fans are hopeful or even excited about the impact that rookie guard Cameron Carr will have on the team. A 6-foot-5, hyper-athletic guard who spent last season at Baylor University, Carr is a terrific 3-point shooter who can also throw down emphatic dunks, especially in transition, and he has the potential to become a plus defender.
Experts see his NBA potential as ranging between being a serviceable 3-and-D guard and possibly approaching All-Star status. Isaiah Thomas, a two-time All-Star guard who got some MVP consideration during the 2016-17 season, said that the 21-year-old will have a “real big impact” on the Lakers, via NBA TV.
“He’s a hooper’s hooper,” Thomas said. “He hoops, he can play, he can score, he can make plays, he can shoot the ball at a high level. I think he’s going to have a real big impact on the Lakers just because he can space the floor, he can catch and shoot, and he can put the ball on the ground and make a play for others.”
Carr has shown some ability to move the basketball when he doesn’t have a good look, even though he doesn’t fit the description of a facilitator. While his handles aren’t outstanding, he has also shown some ability to make straight-line drives off the dribble and score.
Any team with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves can never have too many 3-point threats or strong finishers at the rim. Carr can fill both needs at the same time, and depending on how he develops the other facets of his game, perhaps he could push for a starting role within a couple of years.
It has been a little while since the Lakers had a rookie with this type of potential. Even Max Christie, a second-round pick in 2022 who became a nice 3-and-D wing within three years, didn’t have the type of ceiling coming into the league that Carr appears to have.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Former NBA star: Cameron Carr will ‘have a real big impact’ on Lakers
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
