The Los Angeles Lakers have several decisions to make in the offseason, but keeping Jarred Vanderbilt should be considered a no-brainer.
Vanderbilt’s got a team option for the 2023-24 season and considering what he brings to the Lakers defensively, they shouldn’t have to wait too long to pick that up. Despite getting benched in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets, Vanderbilt’s got plenty of utility and should be a key piece in the rotation next season.
As far as the summer goes, the forward said he’s excited to continue working with the organization and improving his game.
“For sure. Summer time I’m always looking forward to looking for ways to improve my game on both ends of the floor. I think for me personally that’ll be the next…the matter of me taking that next step, that next level. Not only for regular season but for playoffs as well. I’m super excited to have a full summer here with this organization getting to work with these guys. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Vanderbilt also expressed he could do more offensively, but acknowledged that he’s willing to accept any role that’s given to him.
“A big part of being a professional is just being able to play your role and being a star in your role. Obviously, I think I’m more than capable of doing more on that end but for this team it didn’t call for me to do that. We have a lot of talented guys on that end and for me my main focus was locking in on that defensive end. Obviously, those first couple of games we were down with no LeBron so having our full roster it calls for us to lock into more specific roles.
“Like I said, going this summer I’m still looking forward to improve my game. Each and every offseason that’s the goal is to get better, add something new to my game that I probably didn’t have the previous year. Just being able to be versatile and be prepared for any role that I’m called upon.”
Vanderbilt’s got the perfect mindset and attitude for a team like the Lakers and it’ll be interesting to see how he improves during the offseason.
D’Angelo Russell tried to be professional after moving to bench in Game 4 against Nuggets
Like Vanderbilt, D’Angelo Russell also moved to the bench in Game 4. Russell didn’t complain publicly about the move, but later admitted it was tough for him.
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