It's hard to be your best in the NBA when your body is not cooperating in the ways it needs to. Ben Simmons is someone who serves as a prime example of that, and up until this Los Angeles Lakers season, so did Jarred Vanderbilt.
The health of the Lakers forward had seriously dampened his overall impact on the last two campaigns in Los Angeles. Vanderbilt only played a total of 65 games when combining 2023-24 and 2024-25. Even when the two-way force was available, he was not at his best.
That was troublesome for the Lakers, considering Vanderbilt's extension kicked in last season. 2024-25 was the first year of his four-year, $48 million deal with Los Angeles. Vanderbilt was being paid like a premier role player in the NBA, which grew increasingly challenging in the current cap climate considering the production was not matching.
2025 was the first healthy offseason that Vanderbilt got to enjoy in quite some time. There was no uphill battle to rehab an injury. The tenacious defender got to focus on improving as a player. Lakers coaches and players raved about how great Vando looked in training camp. The early parts of 2025-26 have shown that excitement was warranted.
Jarred Vanderbilt's improved aggression makes him worth every penny to the Lakers
It is difficult to throw your whole body and effort into it on the NBA floor when there is concern of things breaking down, literally. Those reservations appear to be gone for Vanderbilt.
A great example of that for the Lakers forward was the outing against the Atlanta Hawks. Los Angeles was disappointing as a whole, but Vanderbilt offered a strong point of encouragement.
The 26-year-old pulled down 18 rebounds, the second highest total of his entire career, only trailing a 19-rebound game in the 2021-22 regular season. That may have been a statistical outlier, but it showed how much more willing Vanderbilt was to do the dirty work that makes him great.
The calling card for him has always been his defense. Vanderbilt's disruptive presence as a stopper showed its value during the 2023 playoff run and it was exactly what made him the rich man he is today.
It is understandable for a player to be passive coming off injuries. However, the Lakers are paying him to be the exact opposite. Vanderbilt's performances to start 2025-26 have offered real promise of a return to the player who is a vital component of the rotation in Los Angeles.