Oct 8, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Chris Manon (30) is defended by Sacramento Kings guard Daeqwon Plowden (29) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
One area of the organization the Los Angeles Lakers have spoken about being a priority over the past couple seasons has been their player development. The franchise wants to be able to develop younger talent into real contributors at the NBA level.
Of course, much of the attention for that will go towards the likes of Bronny James or rookie first-round pick Cameron Carr, but the team has a very intriguing two-way player as well in guard Chris Mañon. And head coach JJ Redick made it clear that the Lakers are very much invested in him and his overall development.
“Really like Chris,” Redick said of the two-way guard. “You know we had him in for a draft workout, I think we maybe had him in for two draft workouts. Then he was with Golden State during the California Classic and really popped against us, so we started working that pretty much immediately with his agent because he wasn’t on a two-way. So we’re invested in him and we’re invested in his development, in his career. I thought he played really well against Sacramento. I don’t think any of our guards played well against Golden State.”
In that game against the Sacramento Kings to kick off the preseason, Mañon finished with 12 points and five rebounds, getting to the free throw line 10 times in just 12 minutes. And while the Lakers were blown out by the Golden State Warriors in their second game, Mañon did total seven points, four rebounds and two steals.
Where Mañon shines most is on the defensive end. Last year while playing for the South Bay Lakers, he was named to the G League All-Defense Team, averaging 2.0 steals per game to go along with 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He has the potential to be an extremely effective point-of-attack defender at the NBA level and had a strong showing for the Lakers in Summer League as well.
The key for Mañon’s ability to graduate from two-way player to an NBA rotation piece will be his outside shot. He shot just 32% from 3-point range in the G League last season on just more than two attempts per game, though he was better in Summer League, knocking down 38.5%. There is clearly something there and if the Lakers can develop him properly, they could have a real contributor on their hands.
Lakers’ Walker Kessler gives update on finger injury
One player who has yet to suit up for the Lakers this preseason has been center Walker Kessler. The big man has been dealing with a minor finger injury and gave an update as to when he hopes to return.