Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Can Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr Break Into JJ Redick's Rotation?

Episode Date: October 2, 2026

The Lakers have talked about using what they believe is increased depth, and people wonder if that means perhaps even expanding the normal 9-10 man rotation into 10-11, or even up to 12 guys? There are certainly examples of teams pushing those boundaries in an effort to play at a higher level of intensity. Of course, the only way for the Lakers to get to that number, realistically, is for Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero to force JJ Redick's hand and put them in the rotation by outplaying some of the other options. It's certainly possible, based on what we saw in the summer from Thiero and the skill set he brings to the team, and then the scoring/shooting capabilities of Carr that were on display as well. Could either of them be good enough to find regular playing time even if the rotation doesn't expand? Certainly possible, if not at the start of the year by the end of it. There's another question at play, too. The Lakers have to balance the need to win games -- this is not a rebuilding team with an eye towards the future, even with an awareness that more work needs to be done to build a true title contender -- with the need to develop Thiero and Carr. Some of that can happen in the G-League, but not all of it. Redick is going to need to give both guys meaningful opportunities to play and improve on an NBA court. That means putting up with mistakes, but even more than that, helping play those guys in ways that play to strengths and help hide weaknesses, with very specific instructions on what's expected in each shift.  HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky  PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!IndeedListeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. BetterhelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at https://BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Aura CybersecurityStart your free trial today at https://aura.com/aware.  Protect yourself now.  GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.SquareGet up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/NBA ! #squarepod FanDuelThis season, FanDuel is making the excitement go beyond what happens on the field with the all-new FanDuel Rewards Club, featuring exclusive offers, surprises, and more. Every week, check the FanDuel app to see what’s waiting for you or visit https://FANDUEL.COM  to get started.  FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do Thiro and Cam Carr bust into JJ Reddick's rotation? We'll tell you next. You are Locked-on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for stopping by Locked on Lakers, Brian Komenetsky, Andy Kaminetsky, plenty of talk about in Friday's bonus episode. Get into whether or not Cam Carr.

and do Thero can break into JJ's rotation. We spent a lot of time talking about how they're going to deploy everybody this year and whether or not they will actually play that 10, 11, even 12 guys now that they have the depth that they've been raving about in the early days of training camp, players and coaches alike. I want to let you know that today's episodes brought to you by Fandul, make this your most rewarding season ever with Fandual Rewards Club. Every week, check the Fandual app to see what's waiting for you.

So, all right, I'll go through the list here, Andy. You got Luca, Austin, Kessler, Grimes, well, just pencil and Zaire for now, because it's the guy you and I at least have been talking about. As a start, that's five, Mamu six, sexton seven, Thibel, eight, Larabia, nine. I think those are probably the nine guys that you can pretty confidently say are going to get at least some minutes over the course, you know, from the

jump at the beginning of the season, then you start getting into like the Jared Vanderbilt, like, where does he fit in, Kavana Looney, whether or not he gets some minutes. That's something we talked about at a decent length for Friday's big show, so go back and listen to that

if you haven't. The easiest way for JJ to feel like he needs to play 11 or 12 guys is if Cam Carr and Addu Thiro bust their way into the rotation. That's how you get to 12 on this team or 11 or 13 or whatever the number is. You don't get there unless those two guys are able to play.

Yeah, and that is something that obviously would be great for the organization if this was something that really JJ had to think about, like something that he has to really legitimately consider because Cam and or, ado are playing so well that you have to be open to the possibility. It's also something that would excite Laker fans because in the poll that we put out to our listeners and viewers trying to just get everybody's excitement or disappointment, whatever they were happy, unhappy about with the offseason, we asked the question, which new role player are you most excited about? and the clubhouse leader at 37% between Cam Carr, Quentin Grimes,

Mamu, Sexton, Zaire Williams, Matisse Thibel, Cameron Carr, 37%. The next closest was Quentin Grimes at 24%. So it's understandable between just the way that he looked in Summer League and the profile that he has as a potential two-way player, certainly a three-level score. He's got the NBA pedigree with his dad having played in the league for six years. He's clearly comfortable in this setting. So it's very understandable why fans would be super excited about Carr.

And then you take into account the flashes that we saw at times last year, including a couple playoff shifts for Adythero. and then the development that he showed over just three or so weeks from the beginning of the Summer League to how he finished things off. And that's actually something I asked him about on Media Day. It felt to me like he really just recognized the power of slowing down and like the importance of it, especially as a player who has more athleticism and speed and power than most players in the league anyway. And as he talked about, it's something he understands better now. And my pace, just knowing, like I said, knowing when to play off two, play slow, create my other teammates or when I can be athletic and, you know, rise up and finish over somebody.

But just slowly, the game's just going to slow it down for me. And that's just, it's made it a lot easier when to act on certain things and whatnot to. You got to slow down. The game is slowing down. You know, he needs to slow down. He's playing too fast or whatever. Oftentimes when you use that, particularly with younger players, it's a figure of speech as much it is as it is anything.

It's you, you know, you're not waiting that extra beat. You are, you know, you're just a little impatient. You're hurrying through any reads you have to make or, you know, whatever it is, trying to do too much. Thero, there is some of that. There's no question. But it's also literal with Thero. Like sometimes he is literally going too fast.

And that is a function of athleticism that is, you know, top one, he's a one percenter athletically, even in a league of, you know, the most gifted athletes on the planet. It was one of my favorite parts of media day was listening to Adieu talk about the challenges of needing to mitigate his own jumping ability. Like to stay healthy, he needs to kind of pick and choose because he's in the air too much, too high, too long. And there's a risk to that. So with Thero, it's both of those things. It's mentally the game is going too fast. It's also you physically are going too fast because you can.

Well, you can, but also I think especially when you're young and you're really trying to prove yourself and you know that you have that next level athleticism. Yeah. You're trying to play hard too. Right, right. Like you feel like that that's actually something, I think between being anxious to prove what you can do, which can, I mean, in any profession, often if you are looking to try

to prove yourself, you can get too wound up, but also, too, trying to harness that power. It literally just leads to everything going too fast and out of control. Like I remember, there was a drive that Adieu had in the first summer league game where he wasn't, forget the idea that he was in the air. He was in the air, he was in the air, horizontally. It was if he was like a tailback, you know, like a running back, trying to dive over the pile

to get into the end zone. And unfortunately, he was like five feet below the basket. Like, and honestly, I was worried in that moment that Thero was going to hurt himself. And that's really what he's talking about with you, like the idea of, or what you had mentioned, the idea of if I jump too often, too high, too forcefully without a plan.

I'm actually putting my body in harm's way and I'm somebody that's been dealing with injuries my entire basketball career anyway. But as we saw towards the end of the Summer League, summer league caveats acknowledged, when a do plays under control, he looks like a totally different and way better and very intriguing player.

There is something to, you know, I think we talked to earlier in the week. Like, what are reasonable expectations for somebody like Thero? I think it's kind of a trick question. And I think you can say the same thing regarding car. And I'll answer that for both of them and explain how they might get into JJ's rotation.

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That's code locked on for 20 bucks off Laker games and other NBA matchups on. Game time, download the app today. You know, it's funny. Like, you can make, it's in some ways it's kind of easier to picture guys like Carr and Thero finding their way into the rotation consistently than, you know, maybe somebody like Looney or depending on, you know, if history is any indication, Vando. certainly these are then guys like Hardy or Bruny at the end of the bench where we talked about much at all or Dalton who I don't think will actually be on the team like

you don't based on what those guys did in the summer you don't have to squint that hard to see what it could look like and that's before you factor in Andy that like it is in the team's best interest to make sure that those guys aren't right out of the bench. But then there's also, too, the question of their inexperienced. I mean, a due for all intents and purposes is a rookie. Yes. He was injured almost his entire rookie season.

He barely played in G-League games, much less NBA games. So for all intents and purposes, he's repeating his rookie season, and Cam Carr is a rookie. So with being rookies and experienced comes mistakes. like that's just part of the deal. Like unless you are the most precocious of rookies or young players, the game at times is going to be difficult for you to keep up with. There's going to be things you don't inherently understand. And there's going to be mistakes, which can be an issue for teams like the Lakers that

even if you don't consider them inner circle contenders, they're definitely looking to win games. And they are rightly considered a top six playoff team at the very minimum. So what does that goal, you know, how does that butt up against what you know is going to be part of the deal with Addu and Cam? And that's something I asked JJ about during Thursday's practice, basically just what are acceptable mistakes for Carr and Adu just because you know they're going to happen? And JJ said, quote, everybody's going to make mistakes, right? It's just a matter of, does your role allow you to have egregious mistakes? I mean, that's the NBA. I remember when I was a player early on in my career, I'm getting eight minutes if I'm lucky.

And if I'm not the low man on two straight possessions, I'm going to get two minutes. That's how it works. Starters are different. Guys who play heavy minutes are different. That's the nature of roles in the NBA. I'm very confident those guys are going to have opportunities this year. Cam, we see a player in Cam. We're really excited about him.

You can also see through three days that he's a rookie. There was a number of times today where we had to kind of stop a drill at one point, a minute into the second scrimmage. I had to call time out and kind of bring him over and teach him a little bit. He picks up things really quickly, so very confident he'll have opportunities this season. So, you know, and unfortunately, I was the last question that we were allowed, so I didn't get a chance to ask the follow up, how do you define egregious in terms of?

of mistakes, which is interesting just because, and I don't mean this specifically to JJ, I mean this to all coaches. All coaches see the mistakes of young players as more egregious, more loud, more likely to repeat themselves and turn into disaster than the exact same mistakes from veteran players, even when I think you can make a very reasonable argument, it should be more infuriating from a veteran player because they know better. I mean, I think it is on a on in the aggregate. The younger players are making more of the mistakes.

They're making sure. And I think also to the other is they make less predictable mistakes. Coaches crave predictability as much as anything. And when you don't know quite what you're going to get when you put young players on the floor, I think that's very frustrating. And with the, the tricky part for the Lakers is. is what defines egregious, what define, you know, your tolerance level is based a little bit, you know, on where your franchise is, you know, what you're trying to accomplish, you know, look at where Zaire Williams is coming from. In Brooklyn, mistakes were encouraged. If you didn't make enough mistakes, you weren't allowed to play in fourth quarters because you would wreck their ability to lose games, you know.

And so if you're coming from a culture like that in a place where they were, you know, really actively trying not to win, you know, man, you get a lot of wiggle room there to work with with your mistakes. The Lakers are obviously not in that boat. And while, yes, I think they are, we are competing for championships. That's what they'll tell you and all these other things. I think they also understand that this year is not the one that unless a lot of things really tilt their way. is not currently oriented to a finals run. I think they are definitely playoffs, multiple rounds.

I think they're, all that's fine. So they are not in the business of, we can play cam for 25, 30 minutes a night and let them make a lot of mistakes and learn quicker and try to ramp up that. A, they've got too many good players and they're trying to win games.

And so that becomes tricky. And so it is, I think, a little bit on JJ. And he's kind of talked about this, and he didn't really today, but like, I, like, how do you put those guys on the floor in situations with teammates where you can maximize their ability to help you and minimize the likelihood of them making those kinds of egregious mistakes that are going to keep, that are going to force you to take them off the floor? I think a lot of it's going to be really tailoring their role to their strengths and also their understanding. understanding level, like trying to keep things as simple as possible. Like, you know, that fifth starter, if a do developed, and I want to make it clear, I am not predicting it's going to be a due. I'd actually be surprised, pleasantly surprised, because it means a lot of things went well,

but I would nonetheless be very surprised if it was a due. But if you could find, you know, a replicatable offensive utility for a do, whether as a slasher, whether he's outside shots working. whatever. And you could find that for 12 to 15 minutes a night in a way that works with the offense because his defensive role would be very clear and obvious. And then in the meantime, he is boosting the athleticism, boosting the speed and the power and strength of that overall group. Like something like that would be perfect. Or if you just find very specific, you do A, B, C and D, a do and can.

Do not try to do E. We don't want you to do E. You can do E next year. Right, right. And it's fine that you can't do E. We don't expect that. It's cool. Just make sure A, B, and C, and I guess maybe on some of the best nights, D, that stuff is all

operating. And it really comes down to how much can you leverage the things that they can do well without letting the things that naturally they can only get down through reps get in the way. I think that's really going to be the balance JJ's looking for. And look, I mean, both of these guys are going to spend, I think, a decent amount of time in, where are they now? Coachella Valley. Yep. You know, with the G-League team.

I think, you know, the blueprint for the Lakers probably includes them being able to leave those guys at home a lot. You know, on either on shorter trips or, you know, to make sure that they get playing time because it means that top nine that I mentioned in the first segment, you know, you're getting something out of Vando. You're getting something out of Lune. Guys are healthy. You know, Brony who probably will travel, I think, a little bit. You get, you know, get a little, you know, time. I mean, Bronny's not Gile eligible anymore. Bronny's not.

I thought he was. Right. Not in his third season. No, I believe it's after two. No, thank you. I'm pretty, I thought it was three. I'm pretty sure. I believe.

I think you're right, but I'm just, I thought, I thought it was three. You're probably right. Yeah, if nothing else. I also thought you could accept that assignment. You could accept. But the point being, I think the idea that Brony would be left back as part of an overall plan, in his third year, I would be surprised if for no other reason that it becomes something that he has to agree to and all that stuff.

Well, I think if he wasn't playing, I mean, you could get around. but it's also the third point guard. And so like generally speaking, you carry a third point guard when you, when you go out and, yeah, I understand like the Lakers, their roster orientation is a little bit different. But like he is still the third point guard. And so we'll see, you know, what that looks like. But like if everybody's playing well, then you have the luxury being able to say, you know what? Let's get Cam and do a ton of minutes in the G league. Let's really let them play.

But you also want to get the minutes with the big team because NBA minutes have tremendous value. And the ability to go on road trips and learn that and experience those things and play on the road and do all that stuff, it really will help. But like the Lakers, if they are going to make strides and be able to take, you know, to jump up in the Western Conference despite limited resources. they have to make sure these two guys develop into quality rotation players. It's going to be very difficult to do that with their assets if they keep not getting their young draft picks to develop. And so it's really important. Like their player development is really important.

Yeah. I mean, obviously, whatever JJ defines as egregious mistakes, if they really are that egregious, then it means that can and or ado. they're just not ready for this. And again, that's fine. But I do hope that JJ has at least a flexible definition of egregious. Because I think in potentially the short term, but definitely the long term, that I do think JJ and the organization envisioned Cam and Addu being a part of,

I think it could be worth losing some minutes, maybe even losing a game or to over the course of the season, if those mistakes are really that costly for the sake of that bigger picture, like for prepping those guys, I actually think it's worth it. There's so much lack of continuity with this team anyway, which, as I've said before, I think would prevent a championship in and of itself. I hope JJ, and to his credit, he played Dalton a lot the first few months of his rookie year. I hope JJ has at least some flexibility with it.

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