Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is one of the best defensive players in the league today. What he brings on that end of the floor is extremely valuable and the energy and attitude that he plays with is necessary for this team.
The one issue for Vanderbilt has always been his outside shot. For as good as he is on defense, his lack of an outside jumper has oftentimes forced him off the floor, especially in the playoffs. So far this season, however, Vanderbilt has been a bit better from the outside and that is all the Lakers need.
Vanderbilt is shooting 35% (7-for-20) from deep, which would be a career-high and this is something he knows he must improve, especially when playing next to Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
“It’s been a work in progress for a while now. Just trying to develop and add stuff to my game,” Vanderbilt said. “I feel like playing with two greats like Luka and Bron, there’s gonna be a lot of opportunities for me in that corner. So just being ready, shot-ready, and being able to capitalize and make the defense honest. I feel like I’m capable of doing that.
“I’ve had some great stretches where I’m making shots but due to injuries, it’s kind of like you’re starting back over from square one. So now I know where my shots are coming from so being able to capitalize and just be ready. With those two guys, you always gotta be shot-ready, two great passers. So just continuing to be ready and continuing to trust the work, that’s the biggest thing. I put a lot of work into it and it’s time to just trust in it and let it fly.”
Injuries have certainly been an issue for Vanderbilt and being on the sideline for an extended period can undo the work put in. But as he noted, Vanderbilt has to be ready to shoot and trust in the work as even if he can just shoot at an average rate from the corners, it gives the Lakers a massive boost.
And, thankfully, Vanderbilt put in a lot of work on his shot even while he was recovering from his foot issues.
“For sure,” Vanderbilt responded when asked if he worked on his jumper while injured. “I did a lot of shooting, whether it was obviously spot shots and just form shooting, kind of retooling some things. Yeah, that’s pretty much all I could do in the recovery process. I feel like I did put a lot of work in but half of it is just trusting the work. I’ve been shooting corner shots every day but you gotta trust it when you get in that position… That was mostly just trusting it and being shot-ready and ready for opportunities. That’s always gonna lead to results.”
Vanderbilt is the Lakers’ best perimeter defender, but his offensive issues have hurt him. If he can be a threat from the corners, the Lakers can keep him on the court without sacrificing offense which would be a massive game changer in the postseason.
Jarred Vanderbilt likes having other ‘dawgs’ on the Lakers
Jarred Vanderbilt is one of the players who bring an attitude to this Lakers team, but he isn’t the only one. Players like Trey Jemison, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent also bring toughness and an aggressive mentality and Vanderbilt loves that on this squad.
“I love it. That’s the culture we’re trying to set,” Vanderbilt said. “Having multiple ‘dawgs,’ multiple gritty guys that’s gonna go out there and put their body on the line, fight, play hard, defend and do all the dirty work. Having guys like Trey by me, Doe and even Gabe from that second unit coming in and just being dawgs.”
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