When Jarred Vanderbilt plays, the Los Angeles Lakers perform at the level of a championship contender. It's been the steady theme during his tenure in Los Angeles, as his presence on defense has unlocked the potential of a team that's uniquely led by two legitimate superstars.
Unfortunately, Vanderbilt has appeared in just 29 games since the start of the 2023-24 season—a number that could finally increase sooner than later.
Vanderbilt underwent double foot surgery during the offseason and has, in turn, been sidelined for the entire 2024-25 season thus far. It's a truth that's inevitably resulted in the Lakers failing to live up to their potential on the defensive end of the floor.
According to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, Vanderbilt has been assigned to the South Bay Lakers to begin the next stage of his return to the court.
Lakers have assigned Jarred Vanderbilt to South Bay. Opportunity to get him on the court for stuff the Lakers aren’t expected to do today in a light day.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) January 10, 2025
Woike explained that Vanderbilt will be joining the Lakers' G League affiliate to practice rather than play in games.
To be clear - at practice with SBL https://t.co/9XuuV5bFsP
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) January 10, 2025
It's not a formal return to the Lakers, but it's progress that the team has been waiting for ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline.
Jarred Vanderbilt to begin practicing with South Bay Lakers
Los Angeles has been holding off on trading Vanderbilt in anticipation of a return before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. It's a dangerous strategy considering the Lakers will play just 13 games, pending a potential Charlotte Hornets rescheduling, before the deadline passes.
With Vanderbilt only now returning to practice, it stands to reason that the Lakers could have fewer than 10 games to evaluate how well he's capable of playing in 2024-25 before needing to decide on a trade.
The optimistic take is that Vanderbilt elevated the Lakers immensely during his brief stretch of play in 2024-25. Los Angeles was 4.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court than when he wasn't, bolstered greatly by his value on defense.
The Lakers allowed 109.9 points per 100 possessions with Vanderbilt on the court and 115.1 when he wasn't—a compelling difference of 5.2.
It's also easy to be intrigued by the potential of a perimeter trio of Vanderbilt, Max Christie, and Dorian Finney-Smith. Christie and Finney-Smith are proving capable of providing strong contributions on defense while simultaneously spacing the floor in an effective manner.
Adding Vanderbilt to the mix would create the potential for situational excellence, especially with Anthony Davis anchoring the interior.
The question, of course, is whether or not Vanderbilt can remain healthy for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. If he can, and his play lives up to the Lakers' hopes and expectations, then Rob Pelinka will look like a genius for this gamble.
With four years and $48 million on the line, however, the Lakers are racing against the clock. Thankfully, they've finally received a positive update.