Translator's note: The original text was published in SSR, and the data in the article were as of the time of the original text (September 21 local time). The dates and times involved are all local time

Jared Vanderbilt's 2024-25 season is an unbearable season. At the beginning of the season, Lakers' basketball operations president Robert Pelinka announced that Vanderbilt had undergone surgery on both feet.

Pellinka mentioned at the time that he was optimistic that Vanderbilt would be ready for the opening game, but he didn't make his season debut until January 25 against the Warriors. This made him miss a lot of games and was a bad assessment of the time the player returned, a situation that has been common in the Lakers over the years.

When Vanderbilt came on the court, his performance was completely different.

He is the perfect player in the rotation in his best performance. Vanderbilt is able to defend multiple positions, interfere with the NBA's top outside players on the defensive end, make additional passes on the offensive end to create open opportunities for teammates, and can finish the end at the basket, and even occasionally hit three-pointers.

However, when Vanderbilt is in poor form, the scene is ugly. His defensive bottom is OK, but his offensive end is bad to the bottom. His jump shots were both small and inaccurate, and they were not enough to support him to stay on the court.

With head coach JJ Redick adopting a defensive system that relies heavily on switchovers, this has weakened Vanderbilt's role to some extent. He is known for being a strong defender, but if he loses the opportunity to keep a full-game marker against players like Shay Gilgers Alexander and Ja Morant, his influence will be offset.

Overall, Redick's defensive adjustments, coupled with Vanderbilt's struggle on the offensive end, meant his playing time continued to decrease.

In the most important game, Vanderbilt could only watch the game off the court. He played only eight minutes in the Lakers' only playoff win (Game 2), and in Game 4, he played only seven minutes.

So, can he find his position in Redick's system and show enough stability in the game to gain more playing time in the new season?

What is his best prospect?

If all goes well with Vanderbilt, he will be an indispensable player in this Lakers team.

He can become the Lakers' defensive end Swiss Army Knife, and he will be an X factor whose influence cannot be reflected in the basic data. The team obviously gets better when he's on the court, like Dorian Finney Smith last year.

On the offensive end, Vanderbilt would be more aggressive. He will make those three-pointers in the corner and long-distance shots on both sides of the arc, and the shooting percentage is enough to prevent his opponent from easily shrinking the inside every time he touches the ball.

When he is placed in a dunk position or enters the inside, he can also efficiently complete the end at the basket, thereby enriching his offensive use.

As one of the Lakers' best defenders, plus the shooting ability that can open up space and prevent the defense from taking it lightly, Vanderbilt can play 25 minutes a night, and may even start or end the game at a critical moment, because he is one of the players Redick trusts to win the game.

What is his worst prospect?

If Vanderbilt's situation is not good, we will see a player who can only meet half of the team's needs. Of course, he is a reliable defender, but he can't shoot, so he can't play.

When he comes on the court, people can see the shadow of the players the team needs, but he can only get some fragmented playing time at the end of the rotation. He can certainly help the team force the opponent to make mistakes in a game where the team is behind, which may ignite the spark of counterattack. But when the team needs to improve offensive firepower, he is not a reliable enough shooter to become a stable choice.

Vanderbilt is the one who is out of place in Redick's lineup. He has no good match with DeAndre Ayton or Jaxson Hayes, which makes it difficult for him to get playing time.

Vanderbilt's appearance has become no longer the norm. If he was in a hot form one night, that certainly could, but more often, he was limited to a few short playing time per game.

In terms of health, Vanderbilt continues to suffer from injuries. In his seven-year career, he has only three games in a single season, and the last time it was in the 2022-23 season. He remains a regular on injury reports in the upcoming season, and the discussion about his new season is more about when he will return than what contribution he can make when he is on the court.

What is his most likely role in the team?

Although I think he has the possibility of playing his best season in his career, it will be a huge success even if he just returned to his form when he was with the Lakers in 2023. For Vanderbilt, health and offensive reliability will be key. The Lakers posted a dynamic of his hard training on their social media this summer, which shows he is working hard.

As long as he dares to shoot and attack the rim, he will almost certainly get at least 16 minutes of playing time during the regular season and be part of the rotation.

If he can do more, the best situation will be achieved, but at least, I expect Vanderbilt to be a trustworthy defender who won’t make low-level mistakes and a reliable backup forward.

Author: Edwin Garcia

Translator: GWayNe