The Los Angeles Lakers executed a closely-fought 111-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves last night to keep themselves flying high in the West Playoff race. The Lakers have become one of the best defensive teams in the NBA over the last month despite having no big men on the roster.
What they do have are enforcers like Jarred Vanderbilt, who are willing to step up to any opposing star in the NBA. This was on full display against the Timberwolves as Vanderbilt got into a shoving contest with Anthony Edwards.
Anthony Edwards vs. Jarred Vanderbilt. 👀
(via @LADEig)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 28, 2025
Edwards was having a testy game in general, later getting ejected from the contest and triggering an automatic one-game suspension for accruing 16 technical fouls this season. He put up 18 points (6-12 FG) through three quarters before getting tossed.
Vanderbilt played just 13 minutes off the bench, tallying five points, two rebounds, and one assist. His impact isn’t felt in the box score, but it’s through his individual pressure on the court.
He pressured his former Timberwolves teammate Edwards as the POA defender assigned to him in his minutes but didn’t spend enough time in the game covering the guard for their early spat to escalate.
Jarred is in an important role as he will be required to play a lot of minutes at center for a switchable defense rotation. His lack of offense is a problem, as he’s averaging 3.5 points and 5.0 rebounds this season.
While the hope is his defensive ability makes him valuable enough for Playoff minutes, there’s no guarantee he’ll have a major role if he can’t contribute offensively.
Jarred Vanderbilt Becoming The Lakers Enforcer
This is the third time this week that Vanderbilt has gotten chippy with a star opponent. We’ve seen multiple role players around the NBA have the role of instigating their opponents and it seems Vanderbilt is embracing that role for the Lakers. He already has a long-term contract until 2028, so he has to find ways to make himself integral to the team’s culture under head coach JJ Redick.
During the tense Lakers vs. Mavericks contest on Tuesday night, Vanderbilt got into two different squabbles with different stars in Dallas. The first was against former Lakers teammate Anthony Davis and the second came against Kyrie Irving on the court.
Davis was on the sidelines and was relatively calm, but Irving let Vanderbilt know how he felt about his actions with some NSFW language. The forward isn’t there to make friends but he’s there to provide value to the Lakers. These enforcer types provide great value, as evidenced by the careers of players like Dillon Brooks and Patrick Beverley in recent years.
Vanderbilt is as imposing a defender as those guards but in a 6’10” frame. His offense isn’t as polished, so if he can continue developing on that end, there might be a very bright future for the forward.
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