Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt said the team’s film review showed a handful of simple, correctable mistakes that swung Tuesday’s 119-109 season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors.
“It wasn’t as bad as we thought,” Vanderbilt told reporters after the session at the team’s practice facility. “There are a couple of things we can clean up that can easily change the game, and they’re controllable.”
The 26-year-old logged only 12 minutes at Crypto.com Arena after a strong preseason in which head coach JJ Redick had considered starting him in place of LeBron James, who remains sidelined. Vanderbilt said the coaching staff highlighted basic defensive habits the Lakers failed to execute.
“A lot of it was getting into people’s bodies, being physical, locating shooters like Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield, rebounding, and sprinting back in transition,” he explained. “We were all back on one play, but nobody talked, and Buddy got a wide-open three. Communication alone could’ve saved three points.”
Redick echoed Vanderbilt’s assessment, characterizing the issues as minor lapses rather than systemic problems. According to Vanderbilt, the Lakers used the film to piece together a plan for a full 48-minute effort ahead of their next game.
Although James was unable to play, Redick noted that the four-time MVP contributed during the film session, reinforcing points about spacing and defensive rotations.
The Lakers return to the floor later this week looking to apply those adjustments and avoid another game decided by what Vanderbilt called “super minimal” details.
Source: Lakers Nation
