Jarred Vanderbilt

The LA Lakers acquired Jarred Vanderbilt via a three-team trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley.

Vanderbilt had four steals tonight but it felt like he had his hands on the ball in almost every single Dallas position. He had no trouble jostling with the bigger Dwight Powell inside the paint for rebounds. As Doncic's primary defender, he held him to 2-7 shooting while forcing the MVP candidate to work hard to get to his favorite spots on the floor. The versatile forward will be with the Lakers until at least the 2023-24 season. "Vando" has played four games for the LA Lakers heading into the matchup against the Mavericks. The LA Lakers acquired Jarred Vanderbilt via a three-team trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley.

Vanderbilt has offered little consistent production of late for the Lakers, scoring at least 12 points and grabbing at least nine rebounds in two of his ...

[Game Recaps](/nba/game-recaps.php) [Lakers Correspondent](/nba/team-news.php?team=LAL) [Chris Schommer](/news/correspondents/chris-schommer.php)

The extremely affordable Jarred Vanderbilt contract and the way he is playing for the Lakers makes him an incredible value.

The team went down by 27 (a lead that NBA teams were 138-0 with this season) but stormed back and won the game 111-108. In Vanderbilt’s first four games with the Lakers, he’s averaging 21.3 minutes per game, 7.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. It was a three-year, $13,122,000 pact with $13,122,000 guaranteed and an annual average value (AAV) of $4,374,000. The young forward The Houston native spent one year at Kentucky before heading to the 2018 NBA Draft. However, just five games into his Lakers career, Vanderbilt is not only proving himself a valuable player with his incredibly affordable contact, but he’s a great value, too.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt spoke about taking on the challenge of guarding Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic following the team's 111-108 ...

It’s great to see Vanderbilt buying into and thriving in his role even though he’s only been with the team for a few weeks. The Lakers are momentarily the No. He’s not the greatest scorer in the world, but he plays his role very well. Jarred Vanderbilt on his defense on Luka Doncic: "I like that challenge every single night, being able to guard the best player 1 through 5. [LeBron James offers worrisome comments on his injury following Lakers win over Mavs](https://lakersdaily.com/lebron-james-offers-worrisome-comments-on-his-injury-following-lakers-win-over-mavs/) [Jarred Vanderbilt says he relishes being able to guard the opposing team’s ‘best player 1 through 5’](https://lakersdaily.com/jarred-vanderbilt-says-he-relishes-being-able-to-guard-the-opposing-teams-best-player-1-through-5/) [Austin Reaves speaks out on his heated altercation with Josh Green during Lakers-Mavs game](https://lakersdaily.com/austin-reaves-speaks-out-on-his-heated-altercation-with-josh-green-during-lakers-mavs-game/) [Antoine Davis speaks on chance to break NCAA scoring record in same year that LeBron James set NBA scoring record](https://lakersdaily.com/antoine-davis-speaks-on-chance-to-break-ncaa-scoring-record-in-same-year-that-lebron-james-set-nba-scoring-record/) [Patrick Beverley says ‘big brother’ LeBron James gave him valuable advice in regards to playing for hometown team](https://lakersdaily.com/patrick-beverley-says-big-brother-lebron-james-gave-him-valuable-advice-in-regards-to-playing-for-hometown-team/) [Lakers update injury report for Sunday’s huge matchup vs. He scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, grabbed a team-high 17 rebounds and came away with four steals.

After only 17 minutes of basketball, the Lakers were staring down the barrel of a 27-point deficit. Their 3-point shooting was in a full drought, ...

Meanwhile, James — despite briefly going down with an ankle injury that Ham later described as “good” — played the role of closer. Eight of his boards were on the offensive end, as his remarkable willpower earned the Lakers much-needed extra possessions in their quest to become the first team this season (out of 139 who tried) to rally from 27 points or more. Davis was everywhere for the Lakers, racking up 30 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Vanderbilt — long-armed, big-bodied, and hyper-athletic — held Doncic (26 points) to 1-of-5 shooting in their matchups. Their 3-point shooting was in a full drought, and league scoring leader Luka Doncic was dissecting their defense. “That’s a tall task to try to manage that matchup,” head coach Darvin Ham said.

The forgotten member of the Russell Westbrook trade transformed the Lakers in a crucial rally from a 27-point deficit in Dallas.

Vanderbilt wasn’t the headliner of the three-team Westbrook-Russell trade, but he might end up being the most impactful addition to the deal. “He knows with his corner cutting and crashing to the glass, getting us extra possessions, his value for our team, you can’t even put it into words what he brings and does for us. Davis’ go-ahead bucket, an offensive rebound that resulted in a dunk, was made possible by Vanderbilt keeping the possession alive and tipping it up toward Davis’ vicinity. He addresses the need for a long, athletic, dirty-work forward that can seamlessly fit next to James and Davis. Dončić and the Mavericks built their lead in a first half that resembled the second half of their Christmas Day blowout of the Lakers. The Lakers won despite missing [D’Angelo Russell](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/dangelo-russell-T78UXpDn5eShWlwg/), who was a late scratch due to a sprained ankle he suffered against [Golden State](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/warriors/) in the previous game. “That’s a tall task to try to manage that matchup,” Ham said of Vanderbilt defending Dončić. Vanderbilt’s five deflections led the Lakers and almost matched the Mavericks’ team total (seven), per NBA.com. “That’s why he’s here: to create havoc with his energy and his efforts,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said. He thought it was going to be a backcourt violation, so he smacked the ball forward in an attempt to save the possession. [NBA](https://theathletic.com/nba/)’s leading scorer, famously plays at his own pace, which is one of the many reasons he’s a generational talent. His eight offensive rebounds tied his career high and helped the Lakers’ offense stay afloat while the team shot just 17.6 percent on 3-pointers.

Jarred Vanderbilt sent out a tweet after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks.

Everything everywhere all at once, the 23-year-old showcased his entire arsenal in the Lakers' comeback over the Mavericks.

His third quarter and game in its entirety against Dallas was a perfect example of why. Eight of those points and rebounds came in the pivotal third quarter alone. He knows how to play off it with his corner cutting and crashing into the glass and getting us extra possessions,” And yet, with no physical boxout given, Vanderbilt again crashes in and secures the rebound over multiple Mavericks. On a team that is still top-heavy, but more balanced now after the trade deadline, any contributions they receive from their forward on the stat sheet will typically be just icing on the cake. There is value also in the manner it happened. The play eventually breaks down, and although Vanderbilt will not be credited for it, that momentarily lunge made all the difference. The Lakers would eventually go on to become the first team this season to overcome a deficit of 27 points or more and win. [said](https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2023/2/26/23616225/anthony-davis-lebron-james-jarred-vanderbilt-lakers-mavs-comeback-second-half) of Vanderbilt, “when you’re not great at something, teams are able to use that to their advantage defensively. Like a bull seeing red however, once Vanderbilt sees backs of jerseys, he storms into the paint either for a timely cut or offensive rebound. Once securing the miss, he helps initiate the early offense chances and ultimately gets rewarded for his efforts. When James instead misses the shot, Vanderbilt keeps the possession alive, which ultimately leads to second-chance points.

Los Angeles Lakers wing Jarred Vanderbilt enjoys the challenge of guarding superstars like Dallas Mavericks guard Jarred Vanderbilt.

So I knew he was gonna get tired but my thing was just get up in him and force him to drive and just be physical with him and make him uncomfortable. Obviously shots weren’t falling early on for us so we were able to get out and run and crash the glass and get some steals, force some turnovers and that kind of just changed the game for us.” It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more! “I really was just trying to up the intensity, be a little bit more physical. So I was trying to disrupt that and just pick him up 94, just making him work. Vanderbilt was everywhere for the Lakers, finishing with 15 points, 17 rebounds (eight offensive) and four steals in 27 minutes.

Editor's note: This is the Thursday, July 30 edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox ...

The Lakers face three teams in the critical four to 13 range of the West, teams they need to surpass for their stated goal of getting the No. But if the Lakers can manage a healthy lineup against the Thunder, Timberwolves and Warriors, they have to continue asserting their dominance and stacking wins to finally make a standings move. QUOTABLE: Have to appreciate the honesty from Vanderbilt on the key to his 17-rebound night: “Obviously, there were a lot of rebounds on the table. [per Cleaning The Glass](http://enews.newsletters.dailynews.com/q/6fWTVqf6uE0X5pEplR3KmshFXNznJP8bOBfZcOJdG1vb3JlMkBzY25nLmNvbcOIAPt0ye-rcYUmLfba98rf9fAH-cQ)), Davis and Vanderbilt have a plus-18.8 net rating. Between the two of them, the Lakers might have their hands full looking for playmaking in the coming slate. In the last two games filling in for an injured D’Angelo Russell, Schröder has been a steady hand at starting guard: 29 points, 14 assists (against four turnovers), a perfect 10 for 10 from the free-throw line (he made the last two against Dallas). His biggest liability is defense: The team is minus-179 in Walker’s minutes this year, by far a team low for plus-minus rating. The back line of the Lakers is now 6-foot-9 and taller, with plenty of athleticism to go around. Russell might be the best option at starting point guard, but until he’s able to return, the Lakers could do a lot worse than Schröder. As of Monday morning, the Lakers (29-32) are in 12th place in the Western Conference standings, and they are 13½ games behind the first-place Denver Nuggets (43-19). OK, Vando, how do you want to guard it?’ And make it as comfortable as we can for all three of us, if all three of us are in the action. While James played well enough down the stretch to help the Lakers win, he had a nasty limp on the way out of American Airlines Center that should make fans a little nervous about the other shoe dropping – so to speak.