After the Los Angeles Lakers got swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets, many feel they’re just one or two complementary players away from possibly winning the NBA championship.
They could use a 3-and-D wing and additional depth at center, but another ball-handling guard could be needed in case D’Angelo Russell and/or Dennis Schroder leave in free agency. The team could possibly find a serviceable ball-handling guard via the 2023 NBA Draft using either their No. 17 or No. 47 pick.
One interesting draft prospect the Purple and Gold recently worked out is Marcus Carr, a guard from the University of Texas.
Carr is small, but he's skilled on both ends of the floor
Carr’s potential path to the NBA has been long and winding. He played his freshman season at the University of Pittsburgh, then he transferred to the University of Minnesota. As a result, he had to sit out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA rules that do not allow for a transfer to play for his new school immediately.
The Toronto native spent the last two seasons with the Texas Longhorns, and this past season he averaged 15.9 points, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
Carr is undersized at 6-foot-2 and about 190 pounds, but he is a capable on-the-ball scorer, and he tends to excel on bail-out shots toward the end of the shot clock. He is especially effective in the mid-range area, and he’s a decent 3-point shooter, as he made 36.8 percent of his attempts from downtown in the 2022-23 season.
However, he does seem to struggle to score off the ball, especially in catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Carr is also a decent playmaker who averaged 4.6 assists a game in five seasons of college ball, although there isn’t anything particularly special about his passing.
Although he’s small, Carr is a solid defender who is reasonably athletic, and he has shown promise as a bothersome defender while guarding opposing ball-handling guards. With a wingspan of nearly 6-foot-7, he may have the tools to stand out on that end of the floor at the next level.
Carr should either go in the second round or end up undrafted. He may end up on an NBA team on a two-way contract, but the fact that he will turn 24 on June 6 may make some feel he has very little upside.
