The last time Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt checked into a game was two weeks ago on Nov. 15 in their win against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In the first month of the season, Vanderbilt was averaging just over 20 minutes a game, but it appears things have changed.
LeBron James made his return from the sciatica injury to the right side of his body, resulting in him missing the first 15 games of the season. Since his return, it appears that he has completely replaced Vanderbilt in the Lakers' rotation.
JJ Redick explains why Jarred Vanderbilt isn't in the Lakers' rotation
Of course, LeBron James makes a difference to any team in the entire organization, but it became concerning that he completely erased the opportunity for Jarred Vanderbilt to make a difference.
Lakers fans have been interested in finding answers, and head coach JJ Redick addressed the situation in a detailed explanation with Matt Peralta of Lakers Nation.
"I communicated to him before LeBron came back that there were certain things that he needed to be able to do consistently to play before LeBron came back, after LeBron came back, and that there was potentially gonna be a numbers crunch because we probably were gonna play a nine-man rotation and that was just the reality. Having said that, it doesn’t mean that he’s not gonna be back in the rotation at some point, whether we’re healthy or whether we’re missing a couple guys. When you’re winning games, it’s hard to re-do the rotation mid-winning streak... I certainly have empathy for him and it’s not an easy situation to be in as a coach and certainly not a fun situation for him to be in as a player."
It makes sense that Redick didn't want to change things up, given the specific circumstances. Los Angeles' seven-game win streak was snapped on Monday in a 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
When something is working, there's no reason for changing things up. But for Vanderbilt, it's hard not to have sympathy for the 26-year-old.
In the 14 appearances (two starts) he's had this season, the 6-foot-8, 214-pound forward is averaging 4.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 44 percent from the field. He's still struggling to shoot from the three-point line this season (28.6 percent), which has made it difficult for Los Angeles to get him back into the rotation.
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