The Golden State Warriors Gold blew out the Los Angeles Lakers 104-72 in their opening games of the California Classic Summer League at Chase Center on Friday. While the Lakers were comprehensively beaten on the night, rookie Cameron Carr still managed to impress.
Carr was the Lakers’ leading scorer on the night and shared his feelings on making his Summer League debut with the team in his postgame press conference.
“I think it was a great moment,” Carr said, via The Sporting Tribune. “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, how they play, and how we’re coming together. And so it’s taking it step by step and just enjoying the moment.”
Carr finished with 19 points (7-15 FG), two rebounds, one assist, and one block on his debut. The 21-year-old got the Lakers on the board with a three-pointer and never looked back.
Carr admitted he was nervous before the game, but it sure didn’t seem like it. It was his outside shooting that stood out the most here as the former Baylor star went 5-11 from beyond the arc. Carr has a smooth-looking shooting stroke, and if he can keep knocking down threes at a good clip, we might be talking about him as the steal of the draft.
The New York Knicks had selected Carr with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but then traded him to the Lakers for the No. 25 pick and cash considerations. A Western Conference scout had criticized this move, saying the guard isn’t known to be a passer and has tunnel vision.
Well, the Lakers had Carr play point guard at times against the Warriors, and he did well.
“I feel like they preach if you get two people on you, you can get the ball off you, you’ve done your job, and make it easy for people,” Carr said. “And so, I mean, my guys have done a great job screening, helping me get open, and so I feel like the least I can do is put them in positions to score. And they do the same for me. They make my job easy. And hopefully, I can try to make their job easy.”
There was just a lot to like offensively about Carr. As for defense, well, he’ll need to bulk up a bit. Carr had acknowledged the need to bulk up during his introductory press conference and added he was going to spend as much time as possible in the weight room.
It is on the defensive end that Carr prides himself, and he hopes to show that he is the one the Lakers should want to guard the opposition’s best player. He was asked here what he’ll need to show to his coaches and teammates to prove he can be an impactful defender as a rookie.
“Being a consistent guy that could step up and guard multiple positions, and then whenever my teammates rely on me in big moments, just stepping up knowing that Cam’s going to get a stop,” Carr said.
That would certainly send the message across. Carr has the athleticism and the wingspan (7’0″) to be a quality defender. Notably, he blocked Warriors guard Will Richard’s jumper in the second quarter, and it will be interesting to see how he develops.
We’ll get our next look at Carr when the Lakers take on the Miami Heat at Chase Center on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
