Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt has not been part of the team’s rotation since LeBron James returned to the lineup, despite having a healthy offseason and being seen as an important player for the 2025-26 season. Head coach JJ Redick addressed Vanderbilt’s situation before Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns.
Redick explained his decision regarding Vanderbilt’s playing time: “He’s been good. He’s been a pro, he’s been great in the most recent stay-ready that we had this week. He was great. He’s been a great teammate, so no surprise there,” Redick said. “I communicated to him 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, and that there was potentially gonna be a numbers crunch because we probably were gonna play a nine-man rotation and that was just the reality.
“Having said that, it doesn’t mean that he’s not gonna 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 and there were some lineup combinations when we were injured that we had to go away from and he was I guess caught up as a sort of innocent bystander in some ways with that. But I certainly have empathy for him and it’s not an easy situation to be in as a coach and certainly not a fun situation for him to be in as a player.”
Vanderbilt is recognized for his defensive abilities and energy on the court but has faced challenges on offense this season. Opposing teams have focused their defense inside when Vanderbilt is playing, which has influenced Redick’s choice of lineups.
With several players dealing with injuries throughout the season, Redick indicated there could still be opportunities for Vanderbilt to return to regular minutes if circumstances change.
Vanderbilt himself commented on areas where the Lakers can improve following their recent loss, emphasizing better execution of their game plan.
