Lakers Turn to Jarred Vanderbilt as Defensive Woes Persist
lakers-defense-vanderbilt-reaves-smart-buss
The Los Angeles Lakers are 17-7, yet their record conceals persistent defensive problems. The club sits 18th in points allowed at 116.8 per game, 22nd in opponents’ field-goal percentage at 48.1% and 27th in three-point defense at 38.2%.
Forward Jarred Vanderbilt, limited to a single brief appearance in the past 10 outings, could reenter the rotation while Austin Reaves nurses a mild calf strain. Head coach J.J. Redick may summon Vanderbilt as early as Sunday’s road game against Phoenix.
“I’m pretty eager,” Vanderbilt said after Saturday’s practice. “A lot of the stuff we lack, I can help provide on that end.”
The Lakers hoped to spend the weekend in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals but were eliminated Wednesday after surrendering 132 points to San Antonio. Vanderbilt is averaging 4.3 points on 43.1% shooting, numbers that have kept him on the bench, yet his defensive reputation could earn him minutes if Redick prioritizes stops.
“It’s been a trend even when we were winning,” Vanderbilt noted. “The defense still wasn’t there—we were just outscoring everybody.”
Redick said Reaves’ injury is a Grade 1 strain and expects the guard to miss roughly one week. Reaves logged nearly 40 minutes Wednesday before the issue was detected. “Everything looks clean,” Redick said. “It’s not in the deep part.”
Veteran guard Marcus Smart added that defense dominated a team meeting Friday. “The scouting report against us is we’re not guarding people,” Smart said. “If we want to be great, we have to be able to guard.”
Off the court, former front-office executives Joey Buss and Jesse Buss have engaged in preliminary talks about investing in Major League Baseball’s Athletics franchise, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The brothers retain their ownership stakes in the Lakers.
Source: Hoops Rumors
