It is the year of 2023, and the Los Angeles Lakers just lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder – a team, who, at the time, were not the Thunder we see today and could not achieve making the playoffs. LeBron James just achieved the greatest record in sports history, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s historic scoring record. Yet, the storyline all remained the same. We, as fans, could not remain happy. We chose not to remain happy. Why? There was nothing to look forward to.
At this juncture, the Lakers were severely suffering the consequences of the worst trade in Lakers history and one of the worst trades in NBA history — the Russell Westbrook trade. They were below the play-in tournament and could not even achieve the pity tenth seed to save themselves. Then one day something happens. A miracle…a decision that might have altered the course of the Lakers franchise forever. As me and you sit without patience, nervous, anxious, checking Twitter for something, we find out that Robert Todd Pelinka Jr. had just traded Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Damian Jones, along with a protected 2027-first round pick in a three-team blockbuster move for Utah Jazz’s Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Minnesota Timberwolves’s D’Angelo Russell.
Since making this blockbuster move, LA has risen all the way from under the tenth seed to the seventh in a matter of months, including a stretch without LeBron James due to a severe injury he suffered against the Dallas Mavericks. That said, it did not matter. It just didn’t. The offense was flowing nicely, and the defense…that’s where it all changed. Since acquiring Jarred Vanderbilt, the Los Angeles Lakers had the third best defensive stretch in the league, according to defensive metrics. Since February 8, 2023, the moment they made the trade, they had a defensive rating of 110.9, ranking just behind the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics during said stretch. Everything worked out for the Lakers, led by their defensive anchors of Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt, pushing all the way to the Western Conference Finals, losing to the juggernaut Denver Nuggets, and the best player in the world, Nikola Jokić.
So, what went wrong? It started the following season, 2023-24, where we find out that Jarred Vanderbilt has a minor injury, according to the Lakers’ medical staff — from minor, it progresses to something more, and finally, it progressed into season altering, where he would likely be out the bulk of the regular season. This changed everything. As Vanderbilt was viewed the clear cut starter on the Lakers and the defensive bridge anchor, covering for the likes of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, this injury forced the coaching staff to look elsewhere. First, they looked at newly signed forward, Taurean Prince (shoutout to Darvin Ham), which progressed to Rui Hachimura earning and establishing himself the fifth starter on the Lakers. This transitioned the Lakers identity from more of a defensive powerhouse to an offensive unit, and it stayed that way ever since. Even when Vanderbilt was cleared to return from injury, he shortly reinjured himself against the Boston Celtics, leaving him off-duty for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Fast-forward to this season, 2024-25, LA stayed with the Hachimura pathway of trusting him and granting him the keys of being a starter, primarily because he earned it, to a capacity, and more importantly, Jarred Vanderbilt was still hurt. Yes, you read that right. He was still out for much of the beginning of this regular season. That said, boy did we, as Laker fans, miss him. His return occurred during the Golden State Warriors matchup, and he did not disappoint — putting up numbers of: four rebounds, two assists, and three steals; measly numbers to the naked eye. But to the basketball eye, he was a force to be reckoned with defensively, covering entire court with his lateral speed and being in the right spots defensively every-single-play. And to no shock at all – he kept up this play until the Anthony Davis trade, even slightly past that.
But something changed. The construction and makeup of the roster changed. Luka Dončić has arrived in purple and gold, leaving Anthony Davis’s departure. Now, why is this vital to this talking point? Well, Jarred Vanderbilt is a player that – as formidable as he can be defensively, he can be that much of a liability offensively because of his shooting, or lack thereof. You see, Vanderbilt’s lack of floor spacing was not a glaring issue for us pre-Luka trade and with Davis. Why? Because Davis is a floor spacer at the five positions. That is, likely, the key element of being able to unlock Vanderbilt, always keeping him on the court, taking advantage of his defensive talents. In the modern era, you must have, at least, four spacers on the court at all times. This is a league where three-point shooting is optimized and wins you games, which ultimately, allow you to compete for the Larry.
Without a floor-spacing five next to Vanderbilt, he is unplayable, destroying the makeup of the unit offensively. We cannot play him next to a traditional five – meaning a five who is confined to the paint – because it will clog the paint, allowing defenders to trap, double, and zone against everyone else, at all times. This is also the sole reason why Lakers coach, JJ Redick, made a decision to play Vanderbilt as the backup center, where he is playing with four other spacers on the court. Since the middle of February, the month the trade occurred, Jarred Vanderbilt has a negative plus-minus, rating at a (negative) -6 when he is on the court. The numbers back me up, and so does the glaring eye-test, along with the pure logic of how basketball is played in 2025 with at least four spacers.
On top of that Vanderbilt’s defense has been inconsistent and slipping as the days pass. Since the middle of February, he ranks only eighth in defensive rating on the roster, below players like Dončić and Hachimura, who are not seen as defensive stoppers. He also ranks tenth in defensive win shares since this time, pretty much dead last, or near last, of the players that are in the Lakers rotation.
What is the fix? Well, for starters (ironically), Vanderbilt has to revert back to the defensive player he was prior to the Luka trade, and more importantly, secondly, Rob Pelinka must get a floor spacing five this off-season to pair up with Vanderbilt. Perhaps, Myles Turner, who is popular amongst Lakers circles, or someone else that does not come to mind. Because if he does not acquire that archetype, LA will be forced to play him at the backup five next year again, where he is too small and playing out of position, or the hand might be dealt, and LA moves on from Vanderbilt.
Either way, something must be done. The baseline and concluding premise of this article is to understand that roster construction matters and changes the way players, particular role players with limitations, are viewed and utilized. It can benefit them — as we’ve seen with Jaxson Hayes or hinder them, as we see with Vanderbilt.
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