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Jarred Vanderbilt Rumors
In other words, the Lakers’ top two big men were Hayes and Jarred Vanderbilt, something that’s not going to get it done against the Western Conference playoff teams. “Can’t play Jaxson Hayes and (Jarred) Vanderbilt together at the same time,” says Griffin. “Can’t really play Austin and Luka together at the same time. That’s why their regular season was great. They had a roster that was sort of built for that. But in the playoffs, it wasn’t built for that.”
Speaking on the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast with co-host Steve Nash, James addressed Redick’s decision-making during the series and emphasized that the locker room remained unified behind the coaching staff. “None of us questioned it. None of us questioned JJ and the coaching staff for what happened,” James said, referring to the lineup and rotation decisions made during the series. “Obviously, Gabe [Vincent] and Vando [Jarred Vanderbilt], guys that come, you know, given us so many great minutes. They definitely felt a way, and you know, because they’re competitors. S**t, we all feel like we could get in and make a moment happen, which JJ told us… It wasn’t a decision that was based on guys not being able to do the job. It was his decision based on the feeling of the game and the momentum of the game.”
Dončić has made the Lakers a better team, with 43.2% of their attempts being from beyond the arc (third in the NBA) since the trade. By comparison, they ranked 26th with just 35.8% of their attempts coming from the three-point line. “He’s just a great player,” says Vanderbilt. “He has a high IQ. He’s able to take the game and make plays and see plays that very few people can see or make, and he just makes the game easier for everybody around him. We started to feed off of him as we adjusted to playing with him these last couple months, been able to get more chemistry with him going into the playoffs. It’s been great.”
“It’s been great,” says Vanderbilt of playing with James. “Being able to learn and be around and be teammates with one of the best players to ever play, and just watching him each and every day, it’s been inspiring. He’s been—even at this age—leading our team ever since I’ve been here. Just being able to watch his approach and how you take care of yourself, how you approach the game, super dope.”
Finch has said that he wants the Lakers reacting to the Timberwolves and not the other way around. He would prefer not to downsize and take Gobert off the floor because of the rebounding and defense the Wolves lose when he is on the bench. The Wolves are 7.8 points per 100 better on defense this season when Rudy is on the floor. But the simple assumption that Gobert will overpower the Lakers if they go small seems to look past the fact that they are not small at all. When the 7-foot Hayes goes to the bench for the 6-8 Hachimura at center, the Lakers do lose some height. But they are still a big team because James (250 pounds), Hachimura (230), Finney-Smith (220) and the long-armed Jarred Vanderbilt are wide bodies that can cover ground on defense.
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Any Jokić trade would be complicated, with bidders needing to send between $44 million and $55.2 million in outgoing salary (the former would trigger a first-apron hard cap, the latter likely at the second-apron in most cases). For instance, the Los Angeles Lakers could manage enough outgoing salary with players like Dalton Knecht, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber. That's an overwhelming top five with LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dončić and Jokić, but the rest of the roster would mostly need to be players at that minimum (unless James chooses to opt out and re-sign at a discount to help add depth).
Lakers resting their stars for Sunday's game in Portland
Jovan Buha: Lakers’ injury report for tomorrow in Portland: — Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith are all out. — Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are questionable.
Jarred Vanderbilt says when Luka Doncic picked up his first technical foul, referee J.T. Orr said he would “talk to anybody but Luka.” Vanderbilt said that the techs Doncic received “seem personal”
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Front Office Sports spoke to players on more than 10 NBA teams. Most pointed to a single teammate who educated them on the settlement and helped them file for their money. For the Lakers, it was Jarred Vanderbilt; for the Nets, it was Jalen Wilson, whose fellow Kansas alumni in the NBA also credited him for making sure they filed. “I got an email, so I checked my email, and once I found out, I told some of the guys in the locker room to check their email to see if they were eligible for it,” Vanderbilt tells FOS. Nets forward Noah Clowney was grateful Wilson made sure he did it. “Nobody checks their [messages] constantly,” Clowney says. “Especially not for stuff we don’t know that’s coming.” Vanderbilt played just one year at Kentucky and is halfway through a fully guaranteed four-year, $48 million extension. Per game, Vanderbilt earns roughly $146,000, and his House settlement figure isn’t likely to amount to anything more than a single game check paid out over 10 years. Still, Vanderbilt saw no excuse for not filing for it.
"I think the meeting was just still trying to build that chemistry amongst the three of us to help the team be successful," Reaves said. "Tonight, it just showed that when we play the right way and trust one another, especially offensively, we can have open looks on almost every possession. ... It was really just a conversation about how bad all of us want to win and win at a high level." Los Angeles shot 50.6% and 44.2% on 3-pointers, hitting 19-for-43 from the outside. Seven of those 3s came from reserves Gabe Vincent (4-of-6) and Dorian Finney-Smith (3-of-7). "The ball was flying around because of the advantages and [James, Doncic and Reaves] getting into the paint," Finney-Smith said. "Me, Gabe, Rui [Hachimura], [Jarred Vanderbilt], just recipients of them playing well."
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