Los Angeles Lakers wing Jarred Vanderbilt fell out of head coach JJ Redick’s rotation largely due to his offensive limitations.
However, the Lakers’ porous defense as of late prompted Redick to play Vanderbilt against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns dominated the Lakers in their last matchup because of their energy and sheer will, so Vanderbilt was brought in to help match that.
He delivered with his best performance of the season, recording seven points, seven rebounds, two steals and one block in the win.
After the game, Redick expressed his appreciations for Vanderbilt’s contributions, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“It’s interesting because I saw you guys interviewed him the other day and he talked about communication and it being here and there. I played, so when things aren’t going the way you want them to, it can often seem like the communication is not there. The reality is the communication has been there the whole time. … Pre when he got taken out of the rotation, when he got taken out of the rotation, Nate (McMillan) has talked to him, Scott (Brooks) has talked to him.
“So this was like a three-week process and one of the things that we kept saying was, ‘You’re gonna get more opportunities, just stay ready.’ He and I had a great conversation in Philly and then we had a subsequent follow-up conversation on Monday. I told him that he was gonna play yesterday, I told him he was gonna play. He was in the right head space and he helped win us the game. Full stop. He helped win us the game.
“I’m happy for him because the weight of not playing is a lot for a player and unfortunately you can’t play your entire roster every night. That’s just the reality of the NBA.”
Redick has mostly prioritized offensive spacing as a head coach, but L.A. sorely needed someone like Vanderbilt to jumpstart things defensively. He wreaked havoc against Phoenix and the effort plays he made ensured the purple and gold wouldn’t suffer a let down.
With how well Vanderbilt played, Redick will have no choice but to keep him in the rotation.
Jarred Vanderbilt eager to help Lakers defense
Vanderbilt handled his benching with grace, which made it all the more rewarding to see him capitalize on an opportunity against the Suns. In the midst of the Lakers’ struggles, Vanderbilt acknowledged he was eager to help the group defensively, which is exactly what he did in the win over the Suns.
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