- Jarred Vanderbilt was traded to the Lakers mid-way through the 2022-23 season
- Vanderbilt has enjoyed playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis
- Vanderbilt says they have made the game easier for him
Jarred Vanderbilt has had the fortune of playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis after he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers last season. On the Run Your Race podcast, Vanderbilt explained how special it is to play with the two superstars.
“Man, it’s dope,” Vanderbilt said. “Just being able to be around them and learn from them and watch how they approach the game and practice and everything. They’re just so efficient at what they do, on and off the court.”
Vanderbilt then credited LeBron and Davis for all the Lakers’ mid-season acquisitions fitting so well with the team.
“They just made the game so much easier for you, they’re such high IQ, high-level players that it made our jobs easier,” Vanderbilt continued. “Guys like me, (Malik Beasley), everybody that came in (D’Angelo Russell), Rui (Hachimura), to play alongside them guys. And I think that’s really (why) we took off because we damn near complemented what they needed at that time.”
The 24-year-old also complimented them for accepting the new acquisitions right away and trying to teach them.
“Playing with them is pretty much (them) leading the way,” Vanderbilt added. “It’s huge, especially coming in mid-season, for the top players to accept you and teach you. They were there along with us through the way. They made our transition just so much smoother and we just started clicking.”
(starts at 1:08:20 mark):
Vanderbilt stated that they connected on and off the court, despite only being together for a short period of time. LeBron and Davis ensuring that the new arrivals like Vanderbilt had a smooth transition led to the Lakers soaring after the All-Star break.
Jarred Vanderbilt Revealed What Was The Turning Point Of The 2022-23 Season
The Lakers had a 16-7 record after the All-Star break, which was the best in the Western Conference. It was quite the turnaround, and Vanderbilt spoke about the game against the Dallas Mavericks on 26th February being the turning point of their campaign (at 1:07:27 mark).
“I think that game was definitely the turning point,” Vanderbilt said. “… At that point, everything was clicking. To be down 20, we a fresh new team, and for us to come together and come back from 20 points on a team like that… We knew we were something serious at that point.”
The Lakers were down 27 points at one stage in the game but roared back to win 111-108. A win like that for a new group can be galvanizing, and they started to believe they could be really good.
That was actually the game where LeBron went down with an injury, but the team gained so much confidence from the victory, that they didn’t collapse. The Lakers were 8-5 in the 13 games that James missed and when he did return, they went 6-2 to close out the season.
The Lakers Rewarded Jarred Vanderbilt With A Sizable Deal
While the 2022-23 season didn’t end the way the Lakers would have wanted, their getting to the Western Conference Finals was still quite impressive. They have managed to bring back most of the key contributors from that run, and have also locked up Vanderbilt long-term.
He had averaged 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for L.A. last season, and the Lakers rewarded Vanderbilt with a four-year, $48 million deal earlier this month.
His defense was a big part of their success and if he can improve his offensive game bit by bit, this will be a bargain for the Lakers. They just seem primed for a deep playoff run this upcoming season and aren’t a team that you’d be too happy to go up against.
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