Jarred Vanderbilt is not returning to his 2023 form, and it is time Los Angeles Lakers fans stopped waiting for it to happen. The injuries, the decline in athleticism, and the regression on offense have all added up. He is simply no longer the impactful rotation piece the Lakers once leaned on.
When Vanderbilt first arrived in Los Angeles, he looked like a steal in a trade. He gave the Lakers a jolt of defense, energy, and versatility during their 2022–23 run to the Western Conference Finals.
As Jovan Buha said on Buha’s Block, that stretch was “close to Vando’s ceiling.” It was impressive, but it was also short-lived.
It’s time for Lakers fans to move on from Jarred Vanderbilt
Since then, things have gone in the wrong direction. Injuries have kept him off the court more often than not. A leg injury, a heel injury, a foot injury, you name it. He has clearly had it rough. Even when he played, he did not look the same.
He has been slower laterally. He has had less bounce. The worst part is, he has a lot less control around the rim. According to Buha, his “athleticism, speed, and quickness” have dropped off, and the tape backs it up.
His offense has regressed, too. Vanderbilt’s two-point percentage has gone down three seasons in a row. He shot just 28.1 percent from beyond the arc last year and became a player opposing defenses could safely ignore.
In the playoffs, his numbers were even worse. During the first round of the postseason against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he managed just 1.4 points per game while shooting 33 percent from the field.
He was not even able to knock down at least one triple. It was extremely clear that he was hardly playable in high-leverage situations.
There is also the bigger picture to look into. The Lakers simply do not need Vanderbilt like they once did.
Of course, they would love to have that 2023 version back, but they have added Jake LaRavia, who can defend and shoot, and they are building a rotation that values spacing, movement, and availability. Vando has not been reliable in any of those areas.
He is still under contract, still just 25 years old, and still brings defensive effort when healthy. But the idea that he will return to being a core part of the Lakers’ future rotation does not align with the current reality.
Not with his injury history. Not with his offensive limitations. Not with how the roster is evolving under JJ Redick.
The bottom line is that Vanderbilt had his moment, and it mattered. That moment is gone. Fans do not need to forget what he brought. They just need to stop expecting it again.