LeBron James finally made his long-awaited season debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday and immediately planted one of his teammates firmly on the bench as a result. JJ Redick did not even give it a second thought throughout the night.
James joined Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Deandre Ayton in the starting lineup for the Lakers' decisive 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz. That immediately answered the question of who the fifth starter was going to be when LeBron was back in the mix.
What was ultimately shocking by the end of the night was the absence of Jarred Vanderbilt. With Gabe Vincent also returning from his injury, the backup point guard joined Jake LaRavia, Marcus Smart, and Jaxson Hayes as the primary options off the bench.
And there it was. Redick's nine-man rotation was clear as day. Vanderbilt was stuck in that dreaded 10th spot in the rotation, not even leaving the bench during garbage, receiving a DNP from his head coach in the process.
Jarred Vanderbilt's role has quickly shrunk with LeBron James back
When James was out, Vanderbilt got to enjoy an unofficial competition with Hachimura and LaRavia for playing time in the long-term plans of the Lakers. The early indicators suggest that is a positional battle that was lost by the 26-year-old.
It's not like Vanderbilt was a bad player when given the opportunity, by any means. The Lakers forward has averaged 4.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 18.4 minutes per game, shooting 44.0 percent from the field.
The defensive energy and overall tenacity of Vanderbilt often shined on the court. There were a ton of moment that made his steep price tag start to look a little more reasonable for the Lakers.
There may still be matchups that call for Vanderbilt to get minutes. The expectation should not be that he will disappear altogether. However, it should also be understandable why Redick may prefer other players on his roster over him for minutes.
Hachimura's offensive value outweighs what Vanderbilt brings defensively. LaRavia offers much more two-way upside. Smart brings many similar elements to Vanderbilt while giving Redick more offensive pop.
All of that, and more, makes it reasonable to understand how the hard-working defensive forward would fall out of favor by comparison. It's not about Vanderbilt playing himself out of minutes. The pecking order above him just stands out a touch bit more.