Jarred Vanderbilt could just be the best defender on the Los Angeles Lakers at the moment, but he appears to have already fallen out of the rotation at this early stage of the season. Vanderbilt didn’t play a single minute in the Lakers’ 108-106 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, marking the second consecutive game in which he was a DNP coach’s decision.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn’t play Vanderbilt in the 140-126 win over the Jazz on Tuesday either. While some might wonder if this was based on the matchup, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Going back a bit further, Vanderbilt only played eight minutes in the 119-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 15. The Lakers were without LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent against the Bucks, and the 26-year-old still barely got any game time.
The only ones on the team who played fewer minutes than Vanderbilt were Nick Smith Jr.and Adou Thiero. If he wasn’t getting much time on the court when two of the starting forwards were out, then when will he?
Vanderbilt is averaging 4.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2025-26. He is shooting 44.0% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc, and that’s where the problem lies.
Vanderbilt still cannot shoot three-pointers even at a respectable clip, and his offensive game, as a whole, remains very limited. The Lakers are basically playing four-on-five on offense when he’s out there.
There was hope that things would be different this time around. Jake LaRavia had stated before the season that Vanderbilt was shooting much better at training camp. The forward was also showcasing his improved shooting mechanics at the time, but the shots didn’t go in when it actually mattered.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has made some mistakes in his time, and giving Vanderbilt a four-year, $48 million extension in 2023 is looking like one of the bigger ones. He will be on their books for quite some time, as he has a $13.2 million player option for 2027-28.
The duration also means that trading Vanderbilt isn’t going to be easy. Teams are only willing to take on an unwanted player if they’re in the last year of their deal. So, they are stuck with him at this point.
A notable development did take place in this latest game against the Jazz, though. Deandre Ayton went down with a knee contusion in the contest, and the severity of the injury is unclear at this point. It will be interesting to see if Redick chooses to give Vanderbilt some game time at center if Ayton ends up missing significant time.
The 12-4 Lakers will take on the 5-12 Los Angeles Clippers next at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday at 11 PM ET. Vanderbilt would be hoping that his streak doesn’t extend to three here.
