The Lakers entered the offseason wanting to add depth to their roster.
They wanted to get more athletic.
And they wanted to add elements of youth.
By selecting Baylor wing Cameron Carr with the No. 24 pick in the first round of the NBA draft on Tuesday night after moving up spot in the draft order following a deal with the Knicks, the Lakers accomplished all three goals.
Carr averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks in 33.7 minutes across 34 games in his lone season at Baylor in 2025-26 after spending two years at Tennessee.
Before Tuesday, Carr wasn’t expected to be available for the Lakers by the time they were on the clock to draft a prospect.
Most mock drafts from major media publications projected Carr to be selected just outside of the lottery, between picks Nos. 15-20.
But he fell to the Lakers, who moved up one spot after a draft-day trade with the Knicks to acquire Carr’s draft rights.
Where Carr stands out
Carr’s 3-point shooting and athleticism are his clearest strengths that should immediately translate from college to the NBA.
He shot 37.4% from beyond the arc with the Bears last season, including over 40% on catch-and-shoot 3s, while attempting 6.1 3s per game.
And while standstill shooting is a strength, it isn’t the only time Carr is dangerous from beyond the arc: Carr is a threat spotting up, relocating, curling off of screens and even showed potential as a pull-up 3-point shooter in college.
Carr showed he knows how to leverage his threat as a 3-point shooter into easier scoring opportunties inside of the arc, where he shot 60.2%.
He thrived with attacking closeouts or cutting into open space near the rim after defenders pressed up on him too much, using his athleticism to explode for dunks.
Carr had the second-fastest lane agility time (10.46 seconds), second-highest standing vertical leap (38 inches) and third-highest max vertical leap (42 ½ inches) at the NBA combine last month. He uses his explosive athleticism and length in functional ways as a threat in the open floor and above-the-rim finisher/lob threat when he has space in front of him.
Even though he has several areas of improvements on the defensive end of the floor, Carr showed he can at least be a defensive disruptor by using his vertical pop and length (7 ¼-foot wingspan was the longest among players 6-foot-6 or shorter at the combine) to block shots.
Where Carr needs to improve
The biggest areas the 6-foot-5 Carr needs to address are his strength and frame.
He weighed 184.4 pounds at the combine, which was the lightest among all players who measured at least 6-foot-3.
Carr’s lack of strength hurts him on both ends of the floor.
He can get bumped off of his driving lanes pretty easily, making it harder for him to finish at the rim, and he can get bumped easily when trying to guard bigger guards and forwards – the types of players he’ll be expected to defend in the NBA – making it challenging for him to stay in front of his assignment.
Carr will need to get stronger and improve his physicality to be a viable point-of-attack defender at the NBA level.
His shotblocking in college showcased his use of timing and instincts in conjunction with his length and athleticism. With more consistent effort and attentiveness, those elements should show up in other areas on defense.
Offensively, he wasn’t a true creator for himself or others for a variety of reasons: The lack of strength; not having much wiggle in his handle; not reading defenses the best (though he’ll make the simple pass).
Fit/Expectations
The Lakers are as good of a fit for Carr as any NBA team since they have the playmakers, led by superstar guard Luka Doncic, who’ll create easier looks for him as he takes on a lower-usage role than he had at Baylor.
Doncic will create the spot-up 3s Carr thrived with during college, as well as connect with the uber-athletic Carr on alley-oops and cuts to the basket.
If free agents Austin Reaves and/or LeBron James return to the Lakers, there will be even more playmakers who’ll allow Carr to focus on his strengths as an off-ball scorer.
The Lakers could use more defensive proficiency on the wings, but Carr has the tools to be a positive on that end of the floor if he gets stronger and provides consistent effort.
Carr should be in the mix for a spot in the rotation at the start of the season depending on what happens with the rest of the Lakers’ offseason. At the very least, he’ll be a viable depth option.
Draft grade: B+
Carr’s lack of strength, and how that affects his upside on both ends of the floor, is the biggest swing factor for his career.
But his 3-point shooting, cutting, slashing, length and athleticism should make him an impactful player from Day 1 as he develops his body.
Drafting a player of his caliber late in the first round was great value for the Lakers even with the clear areas of improvement.
