Jarred Vanderbilt found himself out of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ rotation earlier in the season, but he has now made himself an integral part of the team once again. Vanderbilt’s biggest weakness has always been the outside shot, but he’s shooting much better since his reintroduction.
Vanderbilt went 1-3 from beyond the arc in Friday’s 128-121 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena, and LeBron James spoke postgame about how important it is for the Lakers that he keeps making them.
“Obviously, I mean, we need his athleticism,” James said. “We need the way he can guard multiple positions. So it’s very key that he’s back in the lineup, and we love that. But we also need him to knock down a corner shot occasionally. Teams are not gonna guard him, and they kind of disrespect him over there, not even contesting his shots, and he’s put a lot of work in every day at practice just shooting that same shot.
“Luka [Doncic] attracts so much attention,” James continued. “They’re either putting a five on them or a roaming four. But he’s not hesitating. He’s just shooting it. No matter if he miss one or miss two in a row, he’s just shooting the next one. Like you said, that was a big-time three.”
The shot that James was referring to is the exact reason why it’s so important that the Lakers can rely on Vanderbilt to make that corner three when he is open. They were leading 113-110 with just over four minutes remaining when Luka Doncic drove to the basket.
Guarding Vanderbilt was Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr.’s assignment, and he left him open in the corner to stop Doncic. With the defense collapsing on him, the Slovenian kicked it out to the 26-year-old, and he buried the open three.
Vanderbilt has to make defenses pay in those situations, or he simply cannot have a big role come the playoffs. Teams will keep employing this tactic of leaving him open, so that a help defender can assist in making life difficult for Doncic, James, or Austin Reaves when they drive to the basket. If they cannot rely on Vanderbilt to hit that shot, they’re playing 4-on-5 basketball on offense.
To Vanderbilt’s credit, he has been remarkably efficient lately. He is shooting 52.4% from beyond the arc over his last eight games. The volume is respectable, too, as he is at 2.6 attempts per game.
Jake LaRavia had stated back during training camp that Vanderbilt was shooting much better. That led to talk about the forward potentially playing a big role for the Lakers, but the shots didn’t go in when the season started. Vanderbilt shot 28.6% from beyond the arc in his first 14 games and was removed from the rotation. The improvement since he came back has been remarkable.
Doncic also stated postgame that he had seen the work that Vanderbilt, who had five points (2-4 FG), two rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block against the Grizzlies, was putting in.
“He’s been working on that shot a lot,” Doncic said. “I saw some things this summer already. He was showing that he was working on it. That’s going to get the confidence up. If they are going to let him shoot, I’ll always pass him the ball when he’s open. Obviously, hitting those shots, but there’s so many other things he does for us that’s winning.”
This Lakers team needs athletic defenders, and Vanderbilt is just that. They couldn’t play him for long stretches, though, due to his ineffectiveness on offense. If he can hit threes at even a reasonable clip, he is going to get big minutes.
LeBron James Praised Jake LaRavia And Marcus Smart
James and Doncic were the stars of the show against the Grizzlies, with both of them recording 30-point games. The Lakers also got key contributions from LaRavia and Marcus Smart, and James was asked what he saw from them.
“Obviously, it started with Jake,” James said. “I mean, he was locked in from the beginning. Marcus on both ends of the floor, obviously taking the challenge on guarding Ja, but then just him rebounding the ball, sharing the ball, and scoring the ball as well. Those two guys set the tone for us, and we needed it.”
LaRavia had 21 points (8-12 FG), nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. Smart, meanwhile, put up 13 points (5-9 FG), eight rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block.
Despite getting all these contributions, the Lakers briefly trailed in the fourth quarter against the Grizzlies, and James helped get them over the line. Doncic and Lakers head coach JJ Redick were full of praise for him afterward.
The Lakers improved to 21-11 with this win and will take on the Grizzlies again at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday at 9:30 PM ET.
