The Los Angeles Lakers handed Jarred Vanderbilt a four-year, $48 million contract in 2023 for a simple reason. Los Angeles was in desperate need of a lockdown defender and, albeit over a short period of time, Vanderbilt proved that he could fill that essential role.
After an injury-plagued season dampened the excitement levels in 2023-24, Vanderbilt is hoping to overcome those woes early enough to make an immediate impact in 2024-25.
Vanderbilt was aggressive in targeting the source of his recent injury woes, undergoing surgery on both of his feet during the 2024 offseason. Unfortunately, the procedures have forced him to miss each of the Lakers' first three preseason games—but a return date has been targeted.
In an interview with reporters after a recent practice, Lakers head coach JJ Redick stated that Vanderbilt hasn't suffered any setbacks on his road to recovery and is still on pace to return for the beginning of the 2024-25 regular season.
"He's following our ramp-up protocol. He has not done any contact work. He has not participated in any non-contact in practice. But we're still trying to target the beginning of the season and he hasn't had any setbacks. He'll continue to ramp up."
Redick continued:
"Again, our ramp-up process, we're on target. It remains to be seen if he'll be available , but no setbacks and he just continues to work his way back."
Vanderbilt's return date will be easier to decipher once he returns to practice for non-contact drills, but the fact that he's avoided setbacks is a promising sign.
Jarred Vanderbilt is on track to return for beginning of 2024-25 season
Vanderbilt appeared in just 29 games for the Lakers in 2023-24, but his impact was felt whenever he was available. Los Angeles allowed 109.4 points per 100 possessions when Vanderbilt was on the court—the best defensive rating the team posted with any player who played at least 500 minutes.
By comparison, the Lakers allowed 115.1 points per 100 possessions when Vanderbilt wasn't on the court—a stunning 5.7-point swing that epitomizes his value to the team.
It's also worth noting that Los Angeles ranked in the 84th percentile in Net Rating when Vanderbilt shared the court with Anthony Davis. That likely comes as no surprise to those who watched that duo torment opposing offenses during the second half of the 2022-23 season.
If Vanderbilt can remain healthy in 2024-25, then it stands to reason that he'll have every opportunity to remind the skeptics of what he's capable of on defense.
On the other end of the floor, Los Angeles ranked dead last in the NBA in both offensive rebounds and second-chance points in 2023-24. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, boasts career averages of 2.0 offensive rebounds per game and 3.6 per 36 minutes.
That level of production could turn a glaring weakness into a potential strength as Redick and the Lakers look to place a greater emphasis on creating second chances.
It's certainly possible that Vanderbilt will need extra time to recover, but the fact that Redick is confident in labeling the beginning of the season as the realistic target date is encouraging. Los Angeles' second unit was ravaged by injuries in 2023-24 and Vanderbilt is as important as any reserve on the roster.
Having avoided setbacks and progressed to the point of having a target date in mind, Vanderbilt's redemption season is taking shape.