After weeks on the outside looking in, Jarred Vanderbilt re-entered the Lakers rotation against the Suns. He took full advantage of that opportunity, showing the best version of himself by attacking the glass relentlessly and creating havoc defensively.
In nearly every sense, it was the best-case scenario for Vando in his return. He made the best impression possible and surely made a convincing argument for another run in the rotation.
But how much trust did he gain with that performance? Let’s look
at the Lakers’ rotation, with stats from the last two weeks after skipping on last week’s piece.
Starters: Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Deandre Ayton
Jarred Vanderbilt
The real Vando is somewhere between the really bad version of him that featured at the beginning of the year and the really good version of him from Sunday. Even if that’s the case, though, there are plenty of ways he can help the Lakers and give some of the poor play elsewhere in the rotation, he’s more than earned another look.
Gabe Vincent
Since our last version of this post, Vincent has played in all five of the Lakers’ games and is shooting 35% from three and 37% from the field. This is a lot of the same old, same old, but it’s hard to make much of an argument for playing time, especially with Vando’s return and Marcus Smart being healthy once more.
Jake LaRavia
In between a root canal, LaRavia has also struggled. While he had an active game on Sunday against Phoenix, he’s struggled offensively. Over the last five games, he’s shooting 21.4% from three and is averaging more turnovers than assists.
Jaxson Hayes
Ironically, considering how last season ended, Hayes has become one of the consistent members of the rotation. He’s made improvements as a rebounder and rim protector and can still mix in a highlight reel dunk.
Marcus Smart
Much like Vando, Smart’s return to the rotation featured one of his best games imaginable when he hit eight threes against the Spurs in a losing effort. The calls for him to move into the starting lineup aren’t going to quiet anytime soon.
Dalton Knecht
Right now, Knecht seems to be fighting for one of the first guys up when there’s an opening in the guard rotation. However, with a bench struggling to offer much offensive production, there could be an argument for him to get some more minutes.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
