Veteran forward Jarred Vanderbilt has found himself on the outside looking in from the Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s rotation in recent weeks. Vanderbilt’s energetic defense got him to where he is today, but his shortcomings on offense are what hold him back.
During the offseason, the forward spent a good portion of time working on the mechanics of his jump-shot. In a limited sample size, Vanderbilt is shooting 26.7% from 3-point range and to this point, his work has yet to translate.
It is difficult for Redick to play a one-way player in today’s NBA because opposing coaches look to exploit it. However, the Lakers are currently struggling on defense, with not many in-house options to fix that issue.
Vanderbilt may have his offensive shortcomings, but there’s no denying that he could help address the team’s current defensive struggles. After practice on Friday, Redick revealed Vanderbilt will get another opportunity should these struggles continue, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“If this continues, he’ll definitely get his opportunities.”
In 15 appearances, the 26-year-old is averaging the lowest minutes per game since his arrival in Los Angeles. Since becoming a prominent role player with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2020-21, this season’s average of 17.3 minutes is the second-lowest through his eight-year career. That doesn’t even included the numerous games he hasn’t even appeared in due to a coach’s decision.
Redick will presumably stick to his guns to see if the starters can find answers defensively. Outside of that, he does not have many options left to turn to, which could provide Vanderbilt a chance to prove himself should the team’s defense continue to get worse.
Considering Vanderbilt is under contract for two more seasons beyond this one, the organization is in a peculiar position as they signed him to an extension to be their defensive-stopper. If Redick doesn’t trust him offensively though, then he will continue to look elsewhere on the roster.
Jarred Vanderbilt discusses controllable things Lakers can fix going forward
Dating back to his arrival in 2023, Jarred Vanderbilt showcased tons of positives on the defensive end. He was active and did all the little things, which at the time L.A. did not have a player like that.
After the season opener, Vanderbilt mentioned rebounding and transition defense as areas of improvement. Now over 20 games into this year, those remain concerns moving forward.
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