With the Lakers bringing back 10 players from last year’s team, they’ll need a combination of the new guys gelling well and the players coming back improving if they want to have more success in 2026 than
they had in 2025.
Stars like Luka Dončić, LeBron James and even Austin Reaves can be expected to play at the same level they did last year, so where can unexpected improvement come from?
A role player like Jarred Vanderbilt taking a leap forward is exactly the kind of lift that could push the Lakers to another level.
So far during his time in Los Angeles, Vanderbilt has missed more games than he’s played due to injury. Over the past two seasons, Vando played in 65 of a possible 164 games.
This summer, he entered the offseason injury-free and has taken advantage of his newfound health to prepare for the upcoming NBA season.
“It feels great being able to have a full summer under my belt,” Vanderbilt said on media day. “I was able to really work on my game, work on my body and just having that confidence going into the year instead of playing catch-up. Being able to be a part of training camp early, it’s a different level of approach and preparation when you already put the work in and being able to start fresh.”
It’s no secret that health is wealth. Show me the team that has less injuries and I’ll show you who is most likely to win. For Vando to be his best, he needs to stay healthy so he can have confidence in his body, the Lakers can rely on him and so that he’ll get the reps to improve throughout the year.
While there’s only so much one can do to stay healthy when playing a physical sport like basketball, Vanderbilt is doing everything he can to improve his odds of good health.
“Personally, my main goal is just to be healthy,” Vanderbilt said. “It’s been a couple of seasons that being riddled with injuries. So for me personally, my number one goal is just be healthy, finish the season healthy, do a full complete season. That’s first and foremost.”
During the first couple of days of training camp, Vando has stood out. Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Vanderbilt looks like the “pre-injury Vando” and also mentioned Vando looking vastly different health-wise compared to the end of last season.
If he remains healthy, Vando can be the best defender on this team and give Los Angeles some optionality in terms of his on-ball defense options.
From the sounds of it, Vanderbilt is as healthy as he’s been in years. And if that remains true for the majority of the season, he’ll have a chance to return to the form that made him one of the most beloved Lakers during the 2022-23 season.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
