The Los Angeles Lakers have made their position clear on Jarred Vanderbilt. The truth is he is not expected to be a starter or a major-minute player anytime soon. While fans often see him as a potential fifth starter, the coaching staff and insiders view his role differently.
Jarred Vanderbilt isn’t in Lakers’ top rotation plans
As Jovan Buha explained on his podcast Buha’s Block, Vanderbilt has been “a popular guy for the fan base to throw out as that potential fifth starter.” However, when you look at his actual minutes from last season, it tells a completely different story.
In the 36 games that he was actually healthy, Vanderbilt topped 20 minutes only six times, and in five of those games, at least one starter was injured or out, meaning his heavier minutes came mainly due to absences. It is pretty obvious, JJ Redick does not see Vanderbilt breaking into the core rotation. Buha noted, “I don’t think JJ views Vando as a starting-level player, or even a guy who’s going to be in the top six or seven in the rotation.”
Instead, Redick thinks of Vanderbilt as more of a 12- to 15-minute-per-game contributor. He’s a role player whose minutes might increase if he stays healthy or if the team adjusts its defensive approach. Vanderbilt’s biggest hurdle has been his health; injuries have limited him to just 65 games over the past two seasons, making it hard for the team to rely on him consistently. When he is on the floor, his defensive intensity remains his strongest asset.
The Lakers do boast an offensively-loaded roster. Having a defender like Vanderbilt to lock down opponents off the bench is valuable. That said, to increase his role, Vanderbilt needs to become more consistent offensively. Luka Doncic’s play often creates open corner three opportunities, and if Vanderbilt can work on his 3-point game, knocking down a few of those regularly, his value would grow significantly.
Looking ahead, the expected Lakers starting five features Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton. Off the bench, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia are likely to get priority minutes, leaving Vanderbilt as a steady, defensive-minded role player.
