Getting younger was a clear motive for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. Amid their roster overhaul, the oldest player on the team heading into next season is 30-year-old Kevon Looney. The realignment toward the Luka Doncic timeline has been clear, and that even includes several intriguing young players.
To clearly define today's topic, to qualify for the rankings here, a player would need to have no more than two years of NBA experience under their belt. Otherwise, it could quickly become a much larger list after the Lakers' focus on getting fresher legs in the building.
There are seven players who fit those parameters in Los Angeles. Among them, there should be a clear pecking order regarding who can make an impact in 2026-27.
7 — AK Okereke
This will be AK Okereke's first season in the league after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft. The expectations for him should be subdued.
Rob Pelinka and company clearly saw enough out of him in college to think they could develop the former Vanderbilt forward over time in the Lakers system. For Okereke, that should mean a lot of opportunity with the Coachella Valley Lakers in 2026-27, not the main roster.
6 — Chris Mañon
Speaking of undrafted players who the Lakers wanted to develop within their system, Chris Mañon joined the franchise in 2025 after a great summer showcase in Vegas. There is still plenty of hope that Mañon can blossom into an NBA-level player in due time.
The defensive end is the clear calling card for him. There just needs to be more to work with on the offensive end. There were glimmers of hope on the Summer League tape from this year, but a guy like Mañon was always going to look better against that level of competition. That makes those moments tough to properly weigh.
If injuries strike, the Lakers guard could get playing time with the main roster during the 2026-27 season. It would be surprising to see Mañon fully break through among a strong list of guard options, though.
5 — Arthur Kaluma
The reason why it is unlikely for Mañon to see a window of opening is the opposite of why Arthur Kaluma could actually have a legit shot at finding minutes in 2026-27. His positional battles are much more manageable, and could offer room for impact.
Projecting Kaluma as a significant part of the rotation would be unwise, but if the forward room stays what it is, there could be moments for him to shine as a fill-in due to injury. There would be more of those for him by contrast to the aforementioned Mañon.
Kaluma worked his way up from playing in the G League last year and forced the Lakers to give him a two-way contract after a brilliant display at this year's Summer League. Now is the pivotal crossroads to see whether there is more room to move upward, or if the fringes is where he is destined to remain.
4 — Dalton Knecht
Placing Dalton Knecht midway through the pack here comes with a sizable asterisk. IF Knecht survives the roster trim and is still with Los Angeles for Opening Night, fourth is a fair spot to place him among the Lakers' young guys.
Much like the three guys who came before him, Knecht has no clear path toward being a regularly impactful player in the rotation. However, Dalton does give just a bit more reason for JJ Redick to look in his direction. The Lakers coach could find value in playing him when the team needs to spark some offense.
If Los Angeles are letting a game slip and looking for added firepower to jumpstart a run, Knecht could get his opportunities to leave the bench. Helping a run in the Lakers' favor would involve holding his own on defense, though. That continues to be the main thing working against him getting more chances to play.
3 — Bronny James
Quite the opposite to Knecht, Bronny James is the guy who gives you defense but is still a relative wild card on the offensive end. The sooner the latter fixes itself, the quicker James can actually get real playing time.
With the Lakers roster constructed as it is, Bronny faces a strong guard room to navigate in hopes of making an impact on the court. To his credit, James has said the right things about improving his all-around game. The young guard even specified how he can fit around Doncic and Austin Reaves.
That does not mean Bronny will get a spot in the rotation, but last season did showcase Redick had developed trust in him down the stretch. That puts James much closer to regular minutes and impact than everyone else that has come before him.
2 — Adou Thiero
Adou Thiero is the first player here who should get every opportunity to be a permanent part of the rotation in 2026-27. The Lakers' forward group leaves something to be desired right now. Having Thiero be ahead of schedule in his development would help patch that up.
Even if the athletic forward does not make a push for the starting job that remains vacant, there should still be a desire to give him a regular shot at playing. The Lakers are not exactly overflowing with blue chip young talent, and won't be anytime soon after the amount of picks they gave up to get Walker Kessler. That makes Thiero an important player to develop properly.
The 22-year-old should be softly penciled in as an energy guy at the end of the Lakers rotation next season. The quicker the positives start outweighing the growing pains, the more playing time and on-court impact can be expected from Thiero.
1 — Cameron Carr
Despite being one of the freshest faces here, Cameron Carr is built in the mold of a player who should be ready to go from day one. The Lakers clearly believe in him, too. Amid an impressive Summer League campaign, a front office exec from LA told Keith Smith how Carr can secure his spot.
“He’ll have to win his minutes, because his group is really deep. But he’s a worker, so that’ll give him a chance to play right away. ... Early on, we’ll keep it easy for him: make your open jumpers and defend.”
Carr has the type of shooting mechanics that should make Redick blush. He also has the length and athleticism to be a positive defender from the get-go. The path to being an impact player is much more straightforward for him than any other young Laker.
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