In his first career NBA preseason game, Cameron Carr tallied 19 points (7-of-13 shooting, 3-of-7 from deep), three rebounds, two assists and two steals. He flashed impressive range and a smooth stroke beyond the arc and an ability to take tight routes around screens for space, and looked incredibly fluid covering ground with his 6-foot-5 frame and 7-foot-1 wingspan.
Despite the encouraging preseason opener, Carr conceded postgame there were some jitters flowing through his body.
“I was definitely nervous.
It’s real. It’s human so I was definitely nervous,” he told reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 127-103 victory. “But it’s basketball. I enjoy it and have fun, so got to go out there with another opportunity to play basketball and now at the highest level. It’s fun to get to compete with my guys.”
At Baylor a season ago, Carr shot 60.2% on 2-pointers and 37.4% from 3-point range on 6.1 attempts per game. Monday night, he appeared confident as a long-range shooter with seven attempts in 23 minutes and really did seem to read space well inside the arc (4-of-6 shooting on 2s), whether it was efficiently curling around screens to shoot or running in the open floor.
The Lakers’ wing room is crowded — even if not among the roster’s standout areas — with guys like Quentin Grimes, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and Jake LaRavia (not to mention, Austin Reaves), so it’ll be interesting to see how much serious burn Carr could garner this season. Presumably, he’ll spend a good bit of time in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, receiving plenty of playing time to refine his game, improve his physicality and add strength.
Regardless of how seriously he factors into the Lakers’ rotation this year, his outing Monday night was a positive showing during his first taste of real NBA basketball. Based on his own assessment, it sounds as though he’s ready to keep building on that performance and help the Lakers whenever his number is called.
“Every chance I get to step on the court,” he said, “[I’m] just growing in areas and just getting more comfortable with just playing in the offense and being more efficient.”
You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.
