Amid free agency and trade pursuits, the Los Angeles Lakers are still marching forward toward next season without a clear-cut answer as to how their wing rotation is going to shape up in 2026-27. Arthur Kaluma is unlikely to solve their starting forward problem, but perhaps the lack of clarity overall can actually offer an opportunity to earn a role in training camp.
Jovan Buha brought up the idea on a recent episode of his podcast with Trevor Lane and Iztok Franko. The chuckles that filled the air spoke to the long shot it would be. However, Lane and Buha then revisited the subject with more seriousness on The Lakers Collective.
Lane mentioned how Kaluma told them at Summer League he was working on his foot speed. The show host thought this was an attempt to shed that label of being too slow for a more traditional small forward and too small for a classic power forward.
Betting on guys who are on two-way contracts to be significant pieces on teams with championship aspirations is certainly not a safe gamble by any means. Even so, there should still be some intrigue with following the growth and development of the young Lakers forward.
Arthur Kaluma can make his case by finding his footing on defense
Kaluma looked like a solid defender at Las Vegas Summer League. However, the level of competition is important to keep in mind when evaluating the tape. A roster full of NBA-level athletes is going to present a much tougher challenge than players fighting for their careers in Summer League.
The most important element to keep consistent for Kaluma is his 3-point shooting.
The 24-year-old shot 37.8 percent on 3.7 attempts per game from beyond the arc with the South Bay Lakers (now Coachella Valley Lakers) between the Tip-Off Tournament and 2025-26 regular season. Kaluma upped those figures to 50.0 percent from downtown on 5.2 attempts at Summer League.
Maintaining those types of success rates will be what earns Kaluma staying power on the fringes of the NBA. It undoubtedly had to factor in as to why the Lakers moved on from Peter Suder and gave the final two-way spot to their young forward instead.
Shooting will get him attention, but being able to deliver on both ends is what would invite some actual playing time.
Training camp will give Kaluma the opportunity to prove he is locking down a valuable niche in the NBA by being effective as a 3-and-D option. Perhaps in the most fortunate of scenarios, the Lakers will discover their young guy is further along in his development than they had previously thought. That could mean playing time in 2026-27 for the main team.
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