Jarred Vanderbilt has long been considered one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Unfortunately, his time with the Los Angeles Lakers has been filled with injuries which has hampered his ability to contribute to the team. Of course, his shooting issues have also limited his time on the court at times as the defense often ignores him, making life harder on the team’s stars.
This season is the first time in a couple years that he was completely healthy during the offseason and able to focus solely on improving his game and getting in the best shape possible. And it was on full display in the Lakers second preseason game against the Golden State Warriors.
Vanderbilt finished with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the contest and even knocked down a corner 3-pointer, not to mention his normal maniacal activity on defense. It was a reminder of what he can bring to the Lakers at his best and head coach JJ Redick admitted to being impressed not only with what he saw from Vanderbilt on Sunday night, but with all of the work he put in throughout the summer, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“People are gonna earn minutes. I think that goes for everybody. I’ve been very impressed by just the amount of work that he’s done this summer on his game. And obviously his body is significantly better than this time last year or even when the season ended. He’s moving better, his handle is tighter. I’ve never, ever seen him make a Euro-decel finish. It’s good, he’s been working on his game and the shot is sort of the big thing with him. If he can be a consistent 3-point shooter for us, that unlocks a lot.”
If Vanderbilt can keep teams honest with just a league-average 3-point shot it would make all the difference. There is no doubt the Lakers need his perimeter defense and some are wondering whether Redick would consider making him a starter, something the coach didn’t rule out:
“Again, we started 24 lineups last year. The lineup that started the season for us started eight games together and we made a change so I’m of course open to things, of course. And like I said everything’s gonna have to be earned.”
There are a lot of different ways Redick could go with the starting lineup and Vanderbilt undoubtedly brings some things to the table the Lakers need. If he continues to play at this level, at the very least he will be part of Redick’s rotation once the regular season begins.
JJ Redick believes Lakers were ‘much better’ competitively vs. Warriors
JJ Redick wasn’t only impressed with Jarred Vanderbilt in the Lakers’ second preseason game. The head coach felt the entire team was better in terms of their level of competitiveness against the Warriors.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
