He needed one shot to warm up. Then almost nothing could stop Cameron Carr.
In his unofficial NBA debut, the first-round draft pick flashed the type of three-point shooting that could turn him into a valuable player for the Lakers, scoring 19 points on seven-for-15 shooting in their 104-72 summer league loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
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Ten days after walking across the stage at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as the 24th pick in the NBA draft, Carr still could barely wrap his mind around his new job. The 21-year-old was nervous and excited putting on the Lakers’ gold jersey Friday at Chase Center. His nerves didn’t settle until the ball was in the air for the opening tip, he said.
Naturally, the ball landed in his hands.
Read more: Lakers trading Deandre Ayton to the Wizards for Jaden Hardy, draft picks
Carr knocked down a three on an offensive rebound for the Lakers’ first summer league points. He dished an assist to second-year forward Adou Thiero on the next possession, then knocked down his next shot, another three-pointer. He held his thumb and forefinger in a circle over his eye in celebration.
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“It was a great moment,” Carr said of his summer league debut. “It was exciting, a blessing, like I’ve been saying. I’ve been preaching it: just the opportunity to get to step on the court with these dudes, and just learn the way and how they play and how we’re coming together.”
The Lakers spent the first days of free agency addressing their shooting deficiencies. While Luke Kennard signed a two-year contract with Phoenix, the Lakers reloaded with guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton and versatile power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili. The three free-agent additions came in a flurry Wednesday after the Lakers pulled off an aggressive trade for center Walker Kessler.
The moves were meant to reshape the roster to maximize superstar Luka Doncic, who will take the reins with the departure of LeBron James.
After leading the offense at Baylor, Carr knows his assignment supporting Doncic with the Lakers will be simpler: cut, run and dunk, he said at his introductory news conference.
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And, for the guard who shot 37.4% from three-point range at Baylor last season, his job is also to knock down shots.
“If you can shoot the ball,” Carr said with a slight smile in New York the day before the draft, “you’re wanted by a lot of people.”
The Lakers wanted the 6-foot-5 guard so badly that they executed a draft-day pick swap with the New York Knicks. Carr was projected to be a mid-first-round pick but slipped in what many considered to be the deepest draft in a generation.
Any of the consensus top three picks — AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Carlos Boozer — could have been No. 1, analysts predicted. Eleven guards were taken before Carr, who was named third-team All-Big 12 last season after averaging 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists with 45 blocks.
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ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla estimated that Carr could be the best athlete out of the entire draft class.
His 7-foot wingspan was the best among guards at the NBA combine, and his 38-inch standing vertical and 10.46-second lane agility test ranked first for his position.
The length and athleticism make Carr the type of rookie who could make an immediate impact on defense, Lakers summer league coach Ty Abbott said.
“He’s got an ability to read the game,” Abbott said. “He’s not out there and completely lost. He kind of understands, and if he does make a mistake, he recognizes it pretty early. … So for him, it’ll just be about probably adding some strength, maybe some weight, and then just getting the reps. … You just got to go out there and do it. There’s no better way to learn how to guard good players than to guard good players.”
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Carr said his top objective is to put on weight. Weighing 184 pounds at the combine, Carr would have been the third-lightest 6-5 player in the league last year, ahead of only Sacramento’s Nique Clifford (175 pounds) and Dallas’ AJ Johnson (160 pounds). Carr may be joining the Lakers at the exact right moment as the team — with the investment and guidance from big brother organization the Dodgers — will expand weight room, treatment and sports science resources in its facility. Carr plans to make the weight room his new home.
Building up his strength to handle the NBA will be critical for Carr as he hopes to show “that I’m the best defender here,” he told reporters last week. Adding another defender became even more important after guard Marcus Smart signed with Western Conference rival Houston.
The Lakers, after agreeing to trade center Deandre Ayton to Washington for guard Jaden Hardy and two second-round draft picks on Friday, could look for a backup center and wing defender to round out their roster, which stands at 13.
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“I’ll be honest,” Carr said with a bashful smile. “It still doesn’t feel real.”
Lakers re-sign Chris Mañon
The Lakers re-signed guard Chris Mañon to a two-way contract. The second-year guard appeared in nine games for them last season and also played 33 G League games for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. With a team-high 1.9 steals per game, Mañon was named to the G League all-defensive team and finished second in defensive player of the year voting.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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