PALM DESERT – Coming into the 2026-27 season, Los Angeles Lakers fans were curious about the continued development of two-way contract guard Chris Mañon. Head coach JJ Redick spoke highly of him at times last season, but Mañon was the only one of the Lakers’ three two-way contract players who did not see regular rotation minutes as the year progressed.
The Lakers have made it clear, however, that they are very much invested in Chris Mañon’s development and want him to continue to take advantage of his playing time in the G League as part of his two-way contract. Those minutes just aren’t there right now for the big club. With the Coachella Valley Lakers, Mañon is able to expand his skill set such as playing point guard.
Another aspect of Mañon’s game that he can attack in the G League is his rebounding. Being a guard that can have a high impact on the glass is an additional pathway to ultimately being able to crack the Lakers’ rotation.
“I think one of the things I do pregame is give myself a checklist that I can do during the game and rebounding is always at the top of the checklist,” Mañon said during his postgame press conference after Coachella Valley defeated the San Diego Clippers on Nov. 9.
“I think I’m a pretty good decision-maker in transition, so I can get defensive rebounds and break out and I think that’s a big thing for me, especially at the next level too. I think I can be a good player rebounding and pushing the pace.”
Coachella Valley started off the season at 2-0, with their second win being the San Diego Clippers game. It was Mañon who paced the team offensively with 34 points in the win, but he also pulled down 14 rebounds. Since beginning his professional journey, he’s been a rather solid rebounder for a guard.
Over NBA Summer League this year he managed 6.2 boards per game between the California Classic and Las Vegas. As a rookie in both the NBA and G League last season, Mañon averaged 6.0 rebounds across 46 games with the then South Bay Lakers. And through four years of college, three at Cornell and one at Vanderbilt, he was grabbing 3.8 boards per game.
With the rebounding included, Mañon’s overall game has stood out in the early-goings of the G League season. The team has started out 3-1 and he’s been averaging 19.5 points while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line. He’s also dishing out 3.0 assists, getting 3.2 steals and coming up with 1.0 blocked shots.
The defensive numbers continue to stick out for Mañon, who was one of the Lakers’ best defenders last season despite seeing action in only nine games. He led the team in defensive rating at 105.5, as per StatMuse. As the rest of his game comes along, he knows defense is what’s going to fast track a potential opportunity with the big club.
Article Continues Below“I think that’s my bread and butter,” Mañon said. “If I want to play at the next level, I have to be one of the best defenders on the team. So that’s setting the tone and being that point of attack guy for my team. That’s something very important and something I take pride in it.”
Last season, Mañon was a solid scoring threat for South Bay at 11.6 points per game. This year, he has the ball in his hands more often and has a greater degree of offensive freedom. He’s put in the work in the offseason to become more of a well-rounded offensive player, but a lot of it has to do with him feeling more comfortable as a pro and within the Lakers’ system.
“Just playing with more confidence. Maybe I’ll watch some of my old college tape or something, but just playing with confidence, playing with joy,” Mañon said. “Not being afraid to make mistakes, which is something I probably have to clean up a bit. But just playing free and playing confident. I think that’s the biggest thing for most players.”