Jarred Vanderbilt Returns, Offering Solutions to Lakers' Early-Season Weaknesses
The veteran forward's return addressed rebounding and physicality issues, but questions linger about his playing time.
The Los Angeles Lakers have identified areas of weakness early in the 2026-27 NBA season, and forward Jarred Vanderbilt's return may provide solutions. Vanderbilt made his season debut on Wednesday in the Lakers' victory over the Clippers, immediately making an impact on the boards and in overall physicality.
In his 21 minutes on the court, Vanderbilt recorded seven rebounds and two assists, while posting a plus-22 in individual plus/minus. This performance came after the Lakers struggled significantly in rebounding metrics. Prior to Vanderbilt's debut, the team ranked last in offensive rebounding percentage and second-to-last in both overall and defensive rebounding percentages.
Vanderbilt stated that he can contribute in areas such as "the rebounding aspect, the physicality aspect," including boxing out, securing rebounds, and finishing possessions. He also highlighted his ability to help on the offensive glass and put pressure on the rim.
His presence was statistically evident against the Clippers, with the Lakers achieving a 37.5% offensive rebounding rate when Vanderbilt was on the floor, compared to their season average of 25.4% without him. "When the opportunity comes, it calls, just be an impact guy," Vanderbilt said.
Vanderbilt's debut followed a period of limited participation, including DNP-CDs (did not play — coach's decision) in the first four regular-season games and minimal minutes during the preseason. He played a combined 12 minutes in two preseason games before sitting out the finale.
"Just preparing myself, doing my part," Vanderbilt remarked on his readiness. "Being a professional, going in every day putting in the work. It's a long season. As you see, not even our team, but across the league, a lot of guys are suffering injuries, getting hurt. That's the good part about having depth."
He also noted the contagious nature of strong play, saying, "Even when I get out there, obviously just flying around and causing chaos, crashing the boards and kind of propelled [Quentin Grimes] and Collin [Sexton to] start picking up full court. ... It's contagious when everybody's boxing out. You don't want to be the one guy that's not boxing out and your man gets the rebound. So it kind of puts that pressure on everybody to just lock in, box out and do all the dirty work that's required."
With Kevon Looney's role in the rotation reportedly diminishing, Vanderbilt, at 6-foot-8, could potentially see more playing time, possibly even as a small-ball center. He acknowledged the potential size disadvantage in such a role but also pointed to his quicker feet as an advantage for both offensive transitions and defensive switching. "Size, I think, that would probably be a disadvantage," Vanderbilt said. "But also on the other hand, just me being able to have quicker feet than these guys on both ends. Whether that's getting in and out of screens, running the floor on offense or being able to switch out on defense. So it has its pros and cons."