The Los Angeles Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt has been on fire since joining the team from the Utah Jazz on February 9. Since then, he has played every game and started 15 of them for the Lakers.
Jarred’s inclusion to the team is a well-timed and necessary decision as another starting forward, Lebron James, was ruled out for the month due to an ankle injury. Despite being inexperienced at this kind of pressure level, he surpassed the expectation and played above average.
As he has established himself as a starter, the power forward is determined to give his all for the Lakers’ playoff chances.
How serious is Jarred Vanderbilt about making the playoffs?
The 23-year-old has already gained enormous popularity among Lakers fans as he continues to provide a time-worthy performance so far. He seems to enjoy the spotlight as well as having promised the fans to keep pushing for the playoffs.
“So every game, we’re playing it like it’s our last. So just getting into that mindset, getting into that approach I feel like we need it. I feel like tonight we did that; we came out, we executed, we played hard, we played together,” the 6.8-footer said.
“And like I said, from here on out, we got to treat every game like that because at this point we’re fighting for our lives. Yeah, we’ve got to have that approach every single game. For sure. From here on out, we don’t have any time to waste. No games to waste,” Vanderbilt added.
His stats might not seem shiny: he scored on average 7.9 points with 7.5 rebounds and 2 assists per game for the Lakers, but he has shown his talent by stepping up every time the team needed him. Furthermore, his defensive ability has received high praise from critics.
“I just like being the point of attack, being on the ball. Just trying to make those guys uncomfortable,” the Lakers’ PF commented on his defensive prowess.
How would you rate Jarred Vanderbilt? Do you think he can pull off the playoff pressure? Share your opinion in the comment section with us.
