When Jarred Vanderbilt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2023 as part of the deal that got rid of Russell Westbrook, he quickly became a fan favorite because of his hustle, especially defensively and on the boards. But his time with the Lakers, to a certain extent, has been marred by injuries.
Last season, he missed the first several weeks of the schedule with a heel ailment. Then several weeks after returning, just when it looked like he was hitting his stride, he suffered a foot injury that kept him out for a full calendar year.
After he came back from that foot injury, Vanderbilt was able to stay healthy the rest of the way. During his exit interview following L.A.’s five-game opening-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, he said he’s excited to go into an offseason healthy.
Via Silver Screen and Roll:
“For myself personally, I’m excited,” Vanderbilt said in his exit interview. “I haven’t had a healthy offseason in like two years. This last summer, coming off multiple surgeries and not being able to workout all summer, I’m just excited to be able to have a healthy summer, man, so I can really put the time in and be able to work on my game and, also, have a healthy summer.”
While the 6-foot-8 forward can defend multiple positions and give his team a sizable boost on the boards, he is very limited offensively. This could be a real opportunity for him to start to develop a respectable outside jumper, which is considered the biggest weakness in his game.
He shot 28.1% on 0.9 3-point attempts a game during the regular season, and opposing teams would practically pay him to take open shots from downtown whenever he wants. Getting that 3-point accuracy into the mid-30s would greatly increase his value to the Lakers, not to mention his playing time.