While the return of star forward LeBron James has provided a boost for an already-promising Lakers team, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for all involved.
Not only did James contribute a measly 10 points and three assists in the Lakers’ blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, but James’ time in the rotation has also meant a sharp decline in minutes for forward Jarred Vanderbilt.
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After averaging 21 minutes per game in October, Vanderbilt has been a healthy scratch since Nov. 15. Lakers head coach JJ Redick was candid with reporters when asked about Vanderbilt’s demotion, which came as a result of the 26-year-old not quite meeting expectations for his role with the team.
“He’s been good. He’s been a pro. He’s been great. in the most recent stay ready [game] that we had this week, he was great. He’s been a great teammate, so no surprise there,” Redick said before the Lakers’ loss on Monday. “I had communicated to him, even before LeBron came back, that there were certain things that he needed to be able to do consistently to play before LeBron came back, after LeBron came back.”
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Additionally, the Lakers have been running a nine-man rotation, which also factored into Redick’s decision. The bigs the Lakers have featured in this rotation have been James, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes and Jake LaRavia.
“There potentially was going to be a numbers crunch because we were probably going to play a nine-man rotation. And that was just the reality,” Redick said. “Having said that, it doesn’t mean that he’s not going to be back in the rotation at some point, whether we’re healthy or whether we’re missing a couple guys. When you’re winning games, it’s hard to re-do the rotation mid winning streak. So, we’re looking at everything.”
Now that the Lakers’ winning streak has been snapped, there could be a situation in which Vanderbilt gets another shot to contribute. Redick was clearly frustrated with his players’ effort on Monday night.
“It’s like the Monstars took over the people you’ve grown to coach. It’s weird,” Redick said of the sloppy play of the Lakers on Monday.
The Lakers, with or without Vanderbilt, will have the chance to move past their embarrassing loss to the Suns with a 4:30 p.m. PST matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.
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