Is there a pathway to minutes for Chris Mañon, Arthur Kaluma this season?

Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the next several weeks, we’ll be writing columns every weekday breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers added this offseason. Today, we start with a look at the team’s three two-way players, Chris Mañon, Arthur Kaluma and AK Okereke.

Throughout his brief tenure with the Lakers, head coach JJ Redick has been more than willing to give two-way players a chance.

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Last season, it was Nick Smith Jr. who stepped up early in the season to help win a game and, eventually, earn a regular contract at the end of the season. Drew Timme also saw a stretch in the rotation in the middle of the season to help with the team some games. In Redick’s first season, Trey Jemison and Christian Koloko got plenty of playing time, particularly after the Luka Dončić trade.

That foundation leads to optimism that a pair of intriguing two-way options for the team this season in Chris Mañon and Arthur Kaluma could find their way onto the court. Both were not just part of the surprisingly fun Summer League Lakers, but standouts.

Both also possess unique skill sets not seen elsewhere on the team’s roster. Is that enough of a path to lead them to minutes this season? And can the team’s third two-way player, AK Okereke, find his footing in the G League and blossom into the team’s next diamond in the rough?

What is his best-case scenario?

Chris Mañon

Defensively, Mañon has been league-ready since last season. The questions have largely centered on the other side of the court. At Summer League, Mañon had some promising offensive flashes.

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If he’s able to hit threes at a league-average rate, excel off the ball as a cutter and weakside playmaker or be able to get downhill and finish at the rim, then things become more interesting. He very well may be the team’s best perimeter defender and if he can survive offensively, he wouldn’t be far removed from a standard contract.

Arthur Kaluma

Kaluma’s advantage this season is the gaping hole at the forward spot in the starting lineup and rotation overall. Multiple players are going to get chances in that…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/pathway-minutes-chris-ma-arthur-152400106.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-03 15:24:00

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