Before the Los Angeles Lakers' showdown with the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Jarred Vanderbilt received a DNP in nine of the last 10 games from JJ Redick. The game down in the desert made it difficult to remember why that was the case.
The Lakers escaped with a nail-biting 116-114 victory over the Suns, nearly collapsing at the end. They would not have even been in the position of having a massive lead in the first place if it were not for the impact of Vanderbilt off the bench.
The Lakers forward played 15 minutes in the win. Vanderbilt chipped in seven points, seven rebounds, including six of those coming on the offensive glass, two steals, and one block, finishing the night as a +7 in the plus/minus category.
Those numbers do not even really do justice to the impact of the hustle and energy clinic that was put on by the athletic forward. Cliched as it sounds, Vanderbilt's fingerprints were all over this game. The two-way forward will need to keep receiving those opportunities moving forward, and it will only become harder for Redick to ensure that.
JJ Redick's nine-man rotation needs to make room for Jarred Vanderbilt
Redick wants to operate with a nine-man rotation. That much is clear. When LeBron James came back from his sciatica injury, Vanderbilt was immediately unlucky number 10.
With Austin Reaves out due to a left calf strain, Redick had an easy path towards what to do with the rotation. Marcus Smart joined the starting lineup, and Vanderbilt took his role off the bench.
What happens when Reaves returns?
There should be a desire to want Vanderbilt in the gameplan considering the defensive issues that often arise for the Lakers. What, or who, gets sacrificed to ensure that when Los Angeles is back in a spot close to full health?
No one from the bench unit sticks out as an easy drop, given the imperfect make-up of the Lakers. Each of those players have something to offer.
Should Redick perhaps experiment with extending his rotation to one that features 10 men? That is also tough to justify given the Lakers' issues with bench scoring and the need to keep one of the stars out there with that group.
There is no easy answer for Redick and his coaching staff with this current group. However, keeping Vanderbilt in the mix offers so much benefit for the Lakers to simply overlook him.