The Los Angeles Lakers have spent the better part of the 2026 offseason being linked to Jonathan Kuminga. It's even been said that Los Angeles would like to include Kuminga in its starting lineup. That would seemingly shut the door on other hopeful starters, including rookie wing Cameron Carr.
Even if the Lakers successfully sign Kuminga, however, there's reason to believe Carr can become a starter by the end of the 2026-27 season: He has the raw tools to do almost everything Kuminga does, only as a far better shooter on paper.
Kuminga seems to appeal to Los Angeles due to his size, athleticism, and defensive potential. The fact that he can create his own offense likely also helps when one considers that the Lakers lack a definitive third option behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Carr may not be quite as tall as Kuminga, but he checks the other boxes as an effortlessly explosive athlete who has lockdown potential and looked the part of a tremendous help defender in college.
With this in mind, there's a world in which Carr is starting either next to or in place of Kuminga. It begins with Kuminga continuing to shoot in the range of his career mark of 33.2 percent from beyond the arc and the Lakers looking for a better shooter to take his place. They need optimal spacing for Doncic and Reaves' downhill style, after all, and Walker Kessler is already a non-shooting starter.
Even if Kuminga fixes his long faulty jumper, however, another option exists: Carr performing at a high enough level as a rookie that the Lakers prioritize his size and length over 6'4" wing Quentin Grimes.
If Grimes or Kuminga continue to struggle from 3, Carr could become a starter
Carr stands at 6'4.5" without shoes, but boasts an absurd 7'0.75" wingspan. Grimes measured at 6'4" without shoes himself, meaning the size difference isn't all that significant, but he has a 6'8" wingspan. In other words: Carr offers significantly greater length along the wings and could thus be more versatile in terms of his defensive assignments.
The question is simple: Can Carr actually play at the level he's capable of reaching as soon as his rookie season? If he does, Grimes failing to improve upon shooting 33.4 percent from beyond the arc in 2025-26 would create a potential opening in the starting five.
Along those same lines is the potential Carr vs. Kuminga debate. Kuminga is proven as a volume scorer, athletic finisher, and even as a defender if one isolates his peaks from his valleys. The hurdle, however, is that his inefficient shooting is a career issue, whereas Grimes' can be separated from other efficient seasons.
That makes Carr shooting 37.4 percent on 6.1 three-point field goal attempts per game during his final collegiate season quite relevant—particularly when one factors in the logo-level range he proved he could shoot with.
The most likey outcome is clearly that the rookie will come off the bench and grow over time into a starting-caliber player. Neither Grimes nor Kuminga are sure things, however, and that creates a realistic outcome in which Carr performs above expectations and enters the starting five.
Carr's rookie season shouldn't be defined by whether or not he starts, but with Grimes and Kuminga having known flaws, he could eventually work his way into the starting five in 2026-27.
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