The Los Angeles Lakers got a massive reinforcement on Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors in the form of forward Jarred Vanderbilt. It had been nearly a year since Vanderbilt last took the floor, and the Lakers were sorely missing their best perimeter defender over that span.
While LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the way offensively, the person that perhaps impressed the most on defense was Vanderbilt. He played only 12 minutes and scored two points, but there was no denying his impact on the game. He hauled in four rebounds and had three steals, tying the game lead with Davis despite playing 24 fewer minutes.
Vanderbilt was a plus-6 in his short stint, and he showed exactly why the Lakers have missed him and why it’s been a struggle to evaluate what the team can be defensively without him. The energy he brings is incalculable, and he allows everyone on the roster to play at a more natural defensive position.
LeBron gave his thoughts on Vanderbilt’s return and why they’re excited for him to be back in the lineup, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Besides his wind, it looked like he didn’t miss a beat. He was flying around. What he does doesn’t always show up in the boxscore, but coming back in his first game… I know it’s been quite a while and to have three steals, an assists, carved the ball in the pocket and found a guy on the opposite corner for a 3, offensive rebound, tip-in. We missed him. Happy to have him back.”
Vanderbilt’s on-ball defense was instrumental in Saturday’s game. He helped keep Stephen Curry in check, as the Warriors star finished with 13 points on 4-for-17 from the field and was held scoreless in the second half.
And as he gets his conditioning back and his minutes restriction becomes less and less tight, his impact on the Lakers should be even greater.
Jarred Vanderbilt happy to be back in action
The Lakers forward spoke about his return to action after nearly a year away. Jarred Vanderbilt said he knew that he might be a bit rusty coming back into the mix, but was mostly surprised at the rhythm he had in the flow of the game.
Vanderbilt added he’s just happy to be back in action after such a long absence and a tedious journey. Getting back into game reps will only get easier as he gets caught back up to the speed of the game.
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