It has only been two games on a minutes restriction, but Jarred Vanderbilt has already shown what the Los Angeles Lakers have been missing as he recovered from offseason foot surgeries. With the Lakers struggling to put away the Charlotte Hornets head coach on Monday night, JJ Redick turned to Vanderbilt for some crucial fourth quarter minutes and the forward delivered.
Vanderbilt’s numbers won’t impress as he finished with just four points, two rebounds and two steals in 13 minutes, but his overall activity and the havoc he created was massive for the Lakers. With the Hornets threatening to make a huge comeback Vanderbilt came up with back-to-back steals that pushed the lead back to 10 and give the Lakers some breathing room.