LOS ANGELES – After LeBron James rejoined the Los Angeles Lakers’ lineup after missing the first 14 games of the season due to a nerve injury, Jarred Vanderbilt ended up being the odd man out. As the Lakers’ defense continued to struggle, head coach JJ Redick had no choice but to put Vanderbilt back in the rotation. But since then, it’s not just Vanderbilt’s defense and energy that’s been key, it’s been his improved 3-point shot that’s been a major boost for the Lakers.
Following Lakers shootaround last weekend, Jarred Vanderbilt spoke about his mindset when it comes his improved 3-point shot in recent games.
“We have a lot of guys that demand double teams, and really command just a lot of eyes on them. It’s just being able to space the floor, finish and just proved the outlet for them,” Vanderbilt said. “Just keep progressing and working on it. I know I’m gonna have the opportunity to shoot them, so I just have to be ready to shoot them and let it fly.”
In the first half of the Lakers’ Christmas Day showdown against the Houston Rockets, Vanderbilt was 2-of-2 on corner 3-point shots, with both of them coming in front of the Rockets’ bench. Including the Lakers’ Christmas game, Vanderbilt has gone 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from 3-point range since being placed back in the rotation.
In the past five games, Vanderbilt is taking around 2.2 attempts from long range. His shooting is a major difference from earlier in the season. Before losing his spot in the rotation, he had knocked down only four 3-point shots with 14 attempts (28.6 percent) in 13 games. This recent set of games has been the most consistent stretch of good shooting from Vanderbilt since he was traded to the Lakers at the 2023 trade deadline.
Overall, he’s appeared in 19 games, including two starts, at a little over 18 minutes per game. His season averages include 4.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 42.3 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range and 76 percent from the free-throw line.
So far, Vanderbilt is taking around 1.3 attempts from 3-point range per game. That would tie a career-high initially set during the 2nd half of the 2023-23 season when he was originally traded to the Lakers. Even when he wasn’t playing, Vanderbilt was a consistent observer on the bench, seeing where and how he could help the team.
“Even though I wasn’t in the rotation, I was still engaged, watching the games, watching film, even just a part of practice and group film as well,” Vanderbilt said. “Just knowing where I can impact the game, and finding my spots. I’m still getting reintegrated. . .each game I’m getting a better feel. Just finding my spots on the floor and just trying to find ways I can make an impact.”