Woe to the fan or observer who puts too much stock in performances put forth by NBA rookies in summer league games. Summer league is a long way from normal, organized basketball and a longer way from NBA basketball. But for the Los Angeles Lakers, there is no doubt, what we’ve seen so far from Cameron Carr in his first two California Classic games has been more than encouraging. Carr scored 19 points in his debut, as he went 7-for-15 shooting, including 5-for-11 from the 3-point line. He topped that with 26 points in his second outing, shooting 7-for-16 from the field and 4-for-9 from the 3-point line.
There are problems with Carr, most notably, his lack of heft–he is listed at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, but probably weighs less than that–but the two things the Lakers want from Carr is consistent spot-up shooting and athleticism, and he has shown both.
Cameron Carr Could Find Rookie Playing Time With Lakers
We checked in with a scout and a league assistant coach who have been watching Carr. Both project him to get a chance to contribute with the Lakers right away.
Said the scout: “The shot is very smooth, he has a good release, high and quick and that is going to help him translate that to the NBA pretty quickly. He can create, too. He won’t be asked to do that a lot for them, but that is something I’d imagine they want him to develop. Just starting off, they are pretty clearly working on him just getting comfortable in their offense and having him shoot, but I can see him developing into a more well-rounded player down the road.”
And the assistant coach: “You know summer league is squirrely, and no one is going to make or break themselves here. But what you can do is just give the eye test. Like, ‘Is that an NBA player? Is he a rotation guy?’ There’s probably only 15 or 20 guys in the whole summer who you look at and say, ‘Yeah, he can play right away.’ Especially with where (the Lakers) are and their rotation, they don’t have a lot of depth. They need him. So, yeah, Cameron Carr is a rotation guy.”
Slipping to Lakers
So, the question remains: If Carr has looked so smooth, and if he had been impressive enough in college at Baylor to have most penciling him in as a lottery pick, how did he slip to the Lakers at No. 24? He scored 30 points in the first NBA draft combine scrimmage, and measured in with an impressive 7-foot wingspan.
The problems are a matter of shot selection and discipline. Carr was a volume shooter for the Bears, and did not do much to help make his teammates better. That scared off some teams. There was also the issue of position–once Carr made it past the Bulls at No. 15, most teams were looking for point guards or power forward/centers. There were four point guards and four bigs taken between No. 16-23, before Carr went at 24.
Cameron Carr ‘Trying to Be a Sponge’
Carr was disappointed on draft night with his slip on the board. But now that he is locked in with the Lakers, he is focused on trying to improve.
“It’s really just been trying to be a sponge, soak as much as I can in,” Carr told the California Post. “Just learn. I feel like this team that I got around me right now, they’ve got a lot of vets that I can learn from, ask questions to. So just trying to catch up and [not] look like a rookie, stand out. That’s been my emphasis.”
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