Jarred Vanderbilt Odd Man Out-for Now-as Lakers Tighten Rotation
In the ever-shifting landscape of an NBA season, rotations are rarely set in stone. Injuries, hot streaks, and roster tweaks can all force a coach’s hand. For the Los Angeles Lakers, a relatively healthy squad has meant some tough calls-and right now, Jarred Vanderbilt finds himself on the outside looking in.
Since LeBron James returned to action after missing the first 14 games of the season, the Lakers have leaned into a tighter nine-man rotation. That’s left Vanderbilt-known for his defensive energy and versatility-on the bench. Head coach JJ Redick addressed the decision before the Lakers took on the Phoenix Suns on Monday, offering a candid look into the thought process behind Vanderbilt’s recent DNPs.
“He’s been a pro, he’s been great,” Redick said. “In the most recent ‘stay ready’ that he had this week, he was great.
He’s been a great teammate, so no surprise there. I had communicated to him even before LeBron came back, that there were certain things that he needed to be able to do consistently to play.”
Redick didn’t shy away from the reality of the situation. With the Lakers opting for a nine-man rotation, someone had to be the odd man out-and Vanderbilt, despite his defensive upside, drew the short straw. The coach emphasized that the decision wasn’t necessarily about Vanderbilt’s effort or attitude, but rather about fit and consistency.
The current frontcourt rotation has Deandre Ayton locking down the center spot, with LeBron and Rui Hachimura starting at the forward positions. Off the bench, Redick has turned to Jaxson Hayes for backup center minutes and Jake LaRavia as a reserve forward. Maxi Kleber, now healthy, has also carved out a role in the rotation.
Still, Redick made it clear that Vanderbilt’s benching isn’t permanent.
“It doesn’t mean that he’s not going to be back in the rotation at some point,” Redick said. “Whether we’re healthy or whether we’re missing a couple of guys. When we’re winning games, it’s hard to redo the rotation mid-winning streak.”
That’s the tough part of coaching-when things are clicking, you don’t want to mess with the chemistry. But Redick acknowledged that Vanderbilt was somewhat of a “casualty” of circumstance, especially during stretches when the Lakers were dealing with injuries and had to experiment with different lineups.
“I certainly have empathy for him,” Redick added. “It’s not a fun situation to be in as a coach and certainly not a fun situation for him to be in as a player.”
From a defensive standpoint, Vanderbilt’s absence is noticeable. Among regular rotation players, he actually owns the best defensive rating on the team at 111.0, according to StatMuse. That’s no small feat on a Lakers team that’s been hovering around average on that end of the floor.
But his offensive limitations have been harder to overlook. Vanderbilt has never been known for his scoring, but in today’s NBA, even defensive specialists need to be able to stretch the floor.
He’s shooting just 28.6% from three this season, and opponents have been more than willing to sag off and dare him to shoot. That lack of spacing can clog things up, especially when the Lakers are trying to maximize their halfcourt sets around LeBron and Anthony Davis.
Before the season, Vanderbilt talked about the importance of knocking down open shots to stay on the floor alongside the team’s elite playmakers. So far, that part of his game hasn’t quite clicked.
His last appearance came back on November 15 in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He logged just over seven minutes, grabbed a rebound, dished out an assist, and didn’t attempt a shot. LeBron returned the following game, and Vanderbilt hasn’t seen the court since.
Contract-wise, Vanderbilt isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He’s under contract for one more year after this season, with a player option for 2027-28. So while he’s out of the rotation now, the Lakers still have a player with a unique skill set waiting in the wings.
For now, it’s a waiting game. But in a league where things can change overnight, Vanderbilt’s opportunity could come sooner than later. And when it does, it’ll be up to him to show he’s ready to make an impact on both ends.