SAN FRANCISCO — Cameron Carr is present. 

With the adjustment process that comes with being the Lakers’ first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. With his summer league teammates. With the tasks at hand.

So present that he told The California Post he wasn’t on social media when it was revealed June 29 that LeBron James wasn’t going to return to the Lakers for his 24th NBA season after eight seasons with the franchise. 

And because he’s as present as he is, he didn’t think too much about the news despite expressing excitement about the idea of playing alongside James, as well as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, during his June 26 media availability.

“In all honesty, [I] was probably thinking more about how this was going to go,” Carr told the Post. “Me and my [summer league] teammates, I wasn’t really caught up in the moment of everything going on. Just to be present and be engaged with what’s going on, especially with this team. Got a lot of older guys, things can pass by really fast. And so I was just trying to be in the moment and learn as much as I can and don’t get taken away from outside distractions of what’s going on.”

What’s going on now for Carr is his ongoing acclimation from college basketball player to NBA prospect to NBA player, with him officially becoming a Laker on Thursday after signing his four-year, $16.8 million rookie scale contract. 

He took another step in the process by making his summer league debut in the Lakers’ California Classic loss to the Warriors on Friday.

“It’s really just been trying to be a sponge, soak as much as I can in,” Carr told the Post of his approach. “Just learn. I feel like this team that I got around me right now, they’ve got a lot of vets that I can learn from, ask questions to. So just trying to catch up and [not] look like a rookie, stand out. That’s been my emphasis.”

The 6-foot-5 Carr stood out in his first summer league game, scoring a game-high-tying 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and making 5-of-11 3-point attempts. 

He followed up with an even stronger performance in his second outing, recording 26 points on 7-of-16 shooting (4 of 9 on 3s) and 8 rebounds in Sunday’s double overtime win over the Spurs.

Proclamations about a soon-to-be rookie’s NBA career can’t be made during summer league.

But Carr showed off the skill set that made him such an intriguing prospect that led to him being projected to be selected just outside of the lottery, between picks Nos. 15-20, before the Lakers traded up one spot to select him at No. 24. 

He made spot-up catch-and-shoot shots, including deep 3s, but also showed off his abilities to be a threat off movement when the Lakers involved him in their off-ball actions — sets he’ll likely run with the NBA team. 

Carr made multiple good passing reads when running the pick and roll, including pocket passes to the roll man after drawing a second defender. Being a primary or even secondary ball handler won’t be his responsibility as a rookie because the Lakers already have multiple guards higher than him in the pecking order, but it was still an encouraging sign.

“You try to blend them, you try to give them a little bit of both,” Lakers summer league head coach/assistant coach Ty Abbott said of Carr’s role. “Obviously, it’s different here. He’s super talented, and you want to try to play through him and give him opportunities to play, feel free, score. And it’s a really good way for him to build confidence going into our training camp or our season. But you also have to put him in a position to be playing off the ball and give him a taste of what it’s gonna be like when he gets to that big team so he can be successful when that time comes.”

Carr has emphasized the importance of his defense, saying he wants to show he can be the team’s best defender.

He wasn’t put in a lot of positions in which his on-ball defense was tested during the California Classic, but he had a signature blocked 3-pointer against the Warriors and Spurs. Carr knows he needs to get stronger to become the defender he’s striving to be.

The Lakers are confident he’ll become that even as a rookie.

“His mindset, the fact that he said that that’s something that he wants to do is a great start,” Abbott said when asked what makes him confident Carr can be a positive defender during his first season. “Physically you see the length, you see the athleticism, he’s got an ability to read the game. He’s not out there and completely lost. He kind of understands, and if he does make a mistake, he recognizes it pretty early. So for him, it’ll just be about probably adding some strength, maybe some weight and then just getting the reps. Getting the reps, you just gotta go out there and do it. There’s no better way to learn how to guard good players than to guard good players.”

While there are five more summer league games in Las Vegas, the Lakers have undergone a roster reconstruction that’s currently left a need on the wings.

Does Carr, whose 7 ¼-foot wingspan was the longest among players 6-6 or shorter at the combine, see that as an opportunity for him to take advantage of?

“Man, at the end of the day I start from ground zero,” Carr told the Post. “I’m a rookie, so I got to come and prove everything: What I can be or what I can do. So first thing I’m gonna do is just try to be the best, most consistent dude I can defensively and not bring as many lapses. And when they rely on me, step up in those areas, especially defensively.”

Carr’s not looking too far ahead.

He’s present. 

“Just get into the rhythm,” he told the Post on the feedback he’s gotten. “Fall into the rhythm, especially at this level. It’s not college anymore. That was the biggest thing I had to learn, it’s a different game, more physical. So just get used to those types of bumps, that hand-to-hand combat and stuff. Just trying to catch up. I feel like it’s all about learning, being a sponge, being in the moment.”