Following consecutive 50-win seasons from head coach JJ Redick, a culture is beginning to be implemented within the Los Angeles Lakers organization. There has certainly be an emphasis on getting younger since Redick took over, and L.A. possesses two young pieces in Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr.
Carr was selected No. 24 in this year’s draft and he has a lot of 3-and-D potential with stellar athleticism. Redick, so far, has been hesitant to give rookies or inexperienced players much playing time, but the former Baylor guard revealed he has already had great conversations with his new head coach.
“I did talk to him,” Carr said during his introductory press conference. “Great guy, had a great conversation. He’s excited to get to work, just as I am. I’m excited to play for him. He’s the first conversation I had that day.”
This offseason is a big one for the Lakers as there remains a ton of pressure on general manager Rob Pelinka to put together a championship-caliber team for Luka Doncic. It is too early to pencil in Carr into a potential regular season rotation, but he has a chance to make a great impression at Summer League.
For role players, Redick loves to have them get scrappy and play physical defense. Carr’s slim frame may prevent him from doing so in his rookie season, although he wants to come in, play defense and do whatever it takes to get playing time.
In this CBA, teams need to hit on their draft picks and the Lakers have missed on their last two first-round selections. Having four years of cheap, inexpensive talent is a massive asset to take advantage of and L.A. simply has not been able to do so.
Carr fell to the Lakers, similar to Dalton Knecht, but hopefully, it does not follow that same trajectory as L.A. needs quality production during his rookie deal.
Cameron Carr throws shade at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for flopping
Flopping is a major topic of conversation this year in the NBA, headlined by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Selling foul calls and manipulating defenders have simply become a part of the game.
The Lakers experienced this firsthand in the second round of the playoffs with Game 2 being a frustrating viewing experience. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the main culprit of getting favorable foul calls and received backlash for his unethical way of playing basketball.
Funny enough, Carr recently took a shot at the two-time MVP for flopping and it is safe to say that he will have to guard Gilgeous-Alexander at some point.
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