Monday night's matchup against the Phoenix Suns marked the sixth straight game in which Jarred Vanderbilt collected a DNP from JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers. This one was, by far, the toughest one to explain of them all.
The Suns trounced the Lakers when it came to the effort levels on the court. Phoenix secured an easy 125-108 win over Los Angeles. That snapped a seven-game winning streak for the purple and gold.
The turnover battle is a great place to turn to for evidence of just how much more active the Suns were than the Lakers. Phoenix forced Los Angeles to commit 22 total turnovers, turning that into 32 easy points on the other end.
In a game that was crying out for high motor play, Vanderbilt was nowhere to be found. The Lakers were playing their third game in four nights, and it showed. The play was sluggish, the result was disappointing, and Vanderbilt was the only player for Los Angeles who did not leave the bench.
Jarred Vanderbilt's seat on the Lakers bench could not be any warmer
When LeBron James made his return to the Lakers lineup, there was an immediate trend that started. Vanderbilt was sat. That is where the defensive forward has remained since.
Seeing that pattern hold in this specific matchup was the oddest instance of it. Marcus Smart was unavailable, missing his third consecutive game with a lower back injury.
JJ Redick says Marcus Smart has been feeling tightness in his back. He got an MRI that came back clean and will be day-to-day moving forward.
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) December 2, 2025
"It's not a long-term thing."
Getting Vanderbilt on the court could have been the answer for replacing the energy and tenacity that is brought by Smart. Redick did not budge.
The Lakers head coach has asked his two-way forward to stay ready. However, it also sounded like there is work to be done before Redick can trust Vanderbilt completely on the court again. The second-year coach tried to explain the decision to Dave McMenamin and reporters on Monday.
Redick said, "I had communicated to him, even before LeBron came back, that there were certain things that he needed to be able to do consistently to play. ... There potentially was going to be a numbers crunch ... to play a nine-man rotation. That was just the reality."
The Lakers coach did offer an encouraging note that Vanderbilt is not an afterthought altogether. Redick added that 'at some point' his bench forward could see the court again.
One would imagine the drawbacks keeping Vanderbilt from playing are on the offensive end. The play on the defensive side of the basketball court was strong for him previously.
It still remains unshakably odd to see the likes of Maxi Kleber getting preference in the rotation at present. With no disrespect meant, the offensive side of the equation is not much better there than what Vanderbilt has to offer.