After his first half season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Jarred Vanderbilt was poised for a much bigger role heading into the 2023-24 season.
Vanderbilt was almost considered a throw-in in the Russell Westbrook deal, but the forward ended up being a critical piece in the rotation because of his defensive versatility, rebounding and all-around hustle. Vanderbilt’s two-way play helped him secure a four-year, $48 million extension from the Lakers last summer which paved the way for him to play even more minutes in his first full season with team.
Unfortunately, Vanderbilt suffered a left heel injury early in the preseason opener and he would be forced to miss the first quarter of the regular season. Vanderbilt eventually made his return to the court in early December and slowly ramped up, showcasing what makes him so valuable to the roster.
However, Vanderbilt then suffered a mid-foot sprain in a February win against the Boston Celtics that ultimately cost him the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
It was a disappointing end for Vanderbilt, who would’ve surely helped Los Angeles down the stretch. Without his size and defensive ability, the Lakers struggled on that end of the court.
In 29 games, Vanderbilt averaged 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 20 minutes per game.
2023-24 Highlight
Although Vanderbilt missed a large portion of the regular season, he still made an impact in the games he did get to play.
His most impressive performance of the year came in a road game against the Golden State Warriors. In a tightly-contested matchup between two familiar foes, Vanderbilt stepped up off the bench. He was seemingly everywhere on the court, hustling on defense and finding himself in the right place and the right time.
The Lakers pulled off the thrilling double overtime win against the Warriors and Vanderbilt ended up stuffing the stat sheet. Vanderbilt scored 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 shooting from the free throw line, but more importantly he added nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in 41 minutes.
Although the scoring was a welcomed sight, it was Vanderbilt’s knack for affecting the game in other areas that helped Los Angeles pull off the win.
2024-25 Outlook
At this juncture, the hope is that Vanderbilt is fully healthy and ready to go for the start of training camp. New head coach JJ Redick has talked about wanting to modernize the team’s offense, but he said that Vanderbilt will still be a big part of what the Lakers do.
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