The Los Angeles Lakers have been playing some of their best basketball in recent weeks, and that’s despite some key players missing time due to injury.
The Lakers have notably been without LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, although both are day-to-day and nearing a return. Considering the Lakers are in the midst of a crazy six-game in eight-day stretch, other guys have naturally been dealing with some bumps and bruises too.
As the home stretch of the regular season approaches though, Jarred Vanderbilt said after the Lakers’ win over the Denver Nuggets that the team’s focus is on getting healthy and building chemistry before the playoffs.
“Getting healthy. That would be No. 1, getting healthy,” Vanderbilt said. “Getting rest with this stretch and trying to get some reps together. That’s the main thing, just getting healthy so we can keep building our chemistry.”
Vanderbilt himself is finally healthy after missing nearly a year of action while undergoing surgery on both of his feet. He has been playing for a couple of months now but still feels he is in the ramp up stage.
“I feel good. Still getting adjusted, still kind of ramping up in my opinion,” Vanderbilt added. “Just getting adjusted to the schedule again. Obviously it’s probably the most back-to-backs I’ve played in this stretch, so just taking care of my body, trying to stay prepared and stay healthy. Just keep maintaining.”
This tough stretch of the schedule has not been easy for Vanderbilt, but he is getting healthier and healthier with each passing week.
“It’s getting there,” he said. “Obviously it’s kind of going up and down a little bit. Playing back-to-backs, I just started playing back-to-backs probably a couple of weeks ago. So just adjusting to that, especially with the travel and our schedule. But I feel like each game and each week is getting better.”
Considering the Lakers are clicking without all of their key guys in the lineup, it could be scary for the rest of the league if they get back to full strength in time for the playoffs.
Jarred Vanderbilt: Lakers hanging their hats on defense
A big reason for the Lakers’ success has been their defense, which Jarred Vanderbilt obviously takes a lot of pride in.
“I think as a team, we hang our hat on the defensive end,” Vanderbilt said after the win over the Nuggets. “So we take a lot of pride in it, setting the tone early and being the aggressor. We’ve been doing a good job of that.”
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