The roster math is starting to matter. Lakers training camp Day 3 on Thursday, October 1, in El Segundo brought the first extended scrimmage of camp, praise for a player whose roster spot is in question, a rookie getting a crash course from his head coach, and another vague injury update with the preseason opener only four days away. “Everybody did something,” JJ Redick said. “Again, we’ve had to modify a couple guys.”
Here is what we learned Thursday and what it means for the roster battle before Monday’s game in Sacramento.
Lakers Training Camp Day 3: Knecht “Has Been a Pro”
The most interesting player in camp right now may be Dalton Knecht. The third-year wing’s future became a hot topic Thursday when NBA insider Evan Sidery reported that Knecht is a likely candidate to be waived if the Lakers cannot find a trade. The reason is simple math: the Lakers carried 16 guaranteed contracts after signing Matisse Thybulle in July and must get down to 15 before the October 21 opener.
Redick’s public review of Knecht was positive. “First of all, he’s been a pro. He’s been in the gym,” Redick said. “Like he has since Day 1, he has worked his butt off all offseason. And he’s had a good three days of practice.” He added that Knecht is hungry to play and to earn a rotation spot.
That praise does not settle anything. Knecht has shown he can score in bunches, including a 37-point night with nine 3-pointers against Utah as a rookie in November 2024, but his minutes fell off last season. With Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt and Adou Thiero all competing on the wing, the preseason will be his stage. Redick’s message on Day 1 still applies: this is a meritocracy, as we covered in our camp opener story.
Cam Carr Gets a Timeout of His Own
Rookie Cameron Carr drew the most detailed praise of the day, along with an honest reminder that he is still new. “Cam, we see a player in Cam,” Redick said. “We’re really excited about him. You can also see through three days that he’s a rookie. There were times where we kind of had to stop a drill or, at one point a minute into the second scrimmage, I had to call timeout and bring him over and just teach him a little bit.”
Then came the encouraging part. “He picks up things quick, so very confident that he’ll have opportunities this year,” Redick said.
Redick also explained how he judges mistakes from young players. In his view, how much a player can get away with depends on his role. Starters and heavy-minute players get more leeway, while a young player on the edge of the rotation has less margin. He used his own early career as an example, remembering how few minutes he got and how quickly a couple of mistakes could cost him. That is the bar Carr and Thiero are trying to clear.
Injury Watch: Status “TBD” for Sacramento
For the third straight day, Redick said some players were limited without naming them. He did offer one useful clue: when asked whether any of those players could miss preseason games, he said that was to be determined, but that nothing is a long-term worry.
The coach also revealed the plan for the rest of the week. Thursday’s extended scrimmage was the first time the team had cleaned up offensive details since its small-group work the previous week. “We’ll continue to have an emphasis on that over the weekend on Saturday and Sunday before we go to Sacramento,” Redick said. Doncic’s own preseason plan was covered in our Day 2 report: he will play, but the goal is rhythm, not heavy minutes.
LaRavia: “The Best One I’ve Been a Part Of”
The players are describing the most physical camp many of them have seen. “This has been a very physical, competitive, intense training camp,” Jake LaRavia said. “I think it’s been the best one that I’ve been a part of since I’ve been in the league, and this third day just really put a stamp on what we’ve been doing.”
LaRavia also called Thiero and Williams “really good,” and Redick said he and LaRavia talked a lot during the first six weeks of the offseason, about both shooting and the mental side of the game. Redick believes LaRavia is in a good place both physically and mentally entering a big season in the power forward competition.
Ziaire Williams Finds a “Winning Culture”
Williams, one of the most praised defenders in camp, explained why this preseason feels different from his earlier stops. “This is a winning culture, a winning team, a team that has high standards, so it’s a little different,” he said. “Guys have been more experienced, more in the league, so it’s a little less teaching and more just concepts and schemes versus Brooklyn, it was eight rookies or however many we had.”
“But training camp here has been great,” Williams added. “I’m comfortable. Guys have helped me work my way in and I just feel like I belong.”
How Redick Will Measure the Defense
Redick has talked all week about ball pressure, and on Thursday he explained how he will judge it. Rather than chasing every on-ball defense statistic, he said the best measures are simple: points in the paint and how often opponents get into the paint. If the Lakers contain the ball at the point of attack, opponents should not be scoring or living there. Having Walker Kessler as a deterrent behind the wings helps, he said.
Luka’s Leadership Meeting
Redick started one-on-one meetings with players on Wednesday, and his talk with Luka Doncic focused on leadership. “It’s something he’s really excited about,” Redick said. Asked whether he has seen anything extra from his star, Redick smiled at the Slovenia minicamp Doncic hosted: “I mean, he paid for a private plane for 14 guys or 16 guys to fly to Slovenia. That’s pretty extra.” He added that the group “is going to follow him and AR,” meaning Austin Reaves. The leadership story started at Media Day, which we covered in our Luka and Reaves feature.
Watch: JJ Redick’s Day 3 Practice Report
Hear Redick discuss Knecht, Carr, injuries and leadership in InfanityTV’s practice report:
Preseason Lead-In: Sacramento on Monday
After weekend practices, the Lakers open their five-game preseason on the road:
- Monday, Oct. 5: at Sacramento Kings
- Tuesday, Oct. 6: at Golden State Warriors
- Thursday, Oct. 8: vs. Sacramento Kings (Crypto.com Arena)
- Tuesday, Oct. 13: vs. Golden State Warriors (T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)
- Friday, Oct. 16: vs. Denver Nuggets (Crypto.com Arena)
All five games air on Spectrum SportsNet. The questions for Sacramento: who among the limited players suits up, how many minutes Knecht and Carr get to make their case, and which two players join Doncic, Reaves and Kessler with the starters. Watch the practice report above and follow InfanityTV for daily Lakers training camp coverage.
