Luka Doncic is one of the biggest offensive powerhouses in the NBA, and there is no doubt that he often explodes for huge scoring nights for the Dallas Mavericks. However, he had a harder time than usual getting to his spots against the Los Angeles Lakers.
A large reason that the Los Angeles Lakers won was the play of Jarred Vanderbilt, who tallied 15 points, 17 rebounds, and 4 steals while playing some elite perimeter defense on Luka Doncic. After the game, Jarred Vanderbilt opened up on guarding Luka Doncic, stating that he likes taking on that challenge. Vanderbilt was notably acquired in the team’s trade deadline deal with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I like that challenge every single night, you know being able to guard the best players no matter 1-5… I think I’m capable of doing that. I think that’s my value and my impact on this team.” said Vanderbilt.
"I like that challenge every single night, you know being able to guard the best players no matter 1-5… I think that's my value and my impact on this team." @JVando knows his value and embraces his role, whatever that may be on any given night. pic.twitter.com/IwfFX6Qb3O
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 27, 2023
It is extremely useful to have a player that is willing to guard the toughest matchup every night, provide energy, and be active on the boards. Someone needs to do the dirty work on the court, and it seems as though Jarred Vanderbilt is that guy for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jarred Vanderbilt is currently averaging 8.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.7 APG. He has been a key role player for the Los Angeles Lakers since moving there in terms of rebounding and multi-positional defense, and hopefully, he can help them get far in the playoffs.
Anthony Davis Praised Jarred Vanderbilt For His Performance
Without Jarred Vanderbilt, there is a good chance that the Los Angeles Lakers would have lost this game. In fact, Anthony Davis was full of praise for the forward, praising him for setting “the tone defensively” on Luka Doncic.
“Being down 27, 14 at half, and he comes out and sets the tone defensively on Luka, getting some steals, making him shoot tough shots, his rebounding on both ends”, gushed Anthony Davis. “It started to affect our group to lock in defensively… His value for our team, you can’t even put into words what he does for us and brings to us.”
Defense is what ultimately wins championships, and every single championship-winning team has had players that are willing to play big-time defense against opposing stars.
Hopefully, we see Jarred Vanderbilt continue thriving with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is a key member of their young core, and it’ll be interesting to see how good he becomes in the future.
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