Originally published by LakersNation.com
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to need Jarred Vanderbilt when they take on the Houston Rockets in the playoffs.
The Lakers won the regular season series, but without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves the team will need everyone to pitch in. Vanderbilt is best known for his defense, and he’ll be required to slow down players like Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson. Vanderbilt broke down how to guard Durant and emphasized it’s a group effort.
“It takes everybody. It won’t be one guy’s assignment,” he said after Friday’s practice. “He’s a hell of a talent, we’ve seen what he can do in playoff settings. It’ll be a group assignment. Every time he’s on the floor everybody has to have a head on a swivel and he’s pretty much the most dangerous person on their team so it’ll be all hands on deck, it’ll be everybody.”
Vanderbilt also explained that rebounding will be a major key to the series.
“It’s something that we’ve been harping on all week,” Vanderbilt said. “It’s going to be a big part of the game, especially offensive rebounds. Sometimes those are momentum swingers, they’re game changers so trying to limit them on the glass and just making sure everybody out there boxing out and putting a body on somebody. Obviously we harp on it all week but in during the game we see it happen and guys gotta be able to take accountability and take constructive criticism and be able to move on and execute the next play.
“But that’s a big point of emphasis for us right now, rebounding, boxing out, putting bodies on bodies and it’s going to be a physical series. The team that sets the tone first and initiates the contact they set the rules, set the tone for the series. So I think for us going out there and being the one to hit first instead of retaliating I think that would be a big difference for us.”
Vanderbilt also listed out ways for Los Angeles to set the tone in the series.
“One of them is on the glass,” he said. “I think picking up whether it’s full-court or just contesting everything. Contesting shots, contesting passes, everything, making it hard. They got certain spots they want to get to where start their plays. Being able to push them out and just make it tough on them every time they’re on the floor. Everybody.
“Whoever’s bringing the ball up, whoever’s passing the ball, pushing them out of their spots. Giving up no layups, or if it’s a hard foul, just being physical. Giving no wide-open layups, it’s the playoffs. Being able to just set the tone, the refs gonna play accordingly to how the game is going so I think that’ll be one of our advantages if we set the tone.”
LeBron James echoed Vanderbilt’s statements about rebounding and physicality, so it’ll be interesting to see how the group approaches this once Game 1 tips off.
Jarred Vanderbilt emphasizes ‘unity’ after spat with JJ Redick
Vanderbilt and head coach JJ Redick got into a situation a few weeks ago, prompting plenty of reaction on social media. However, the two have buried the hatchet and Vanderbilt recently preached unity for the group.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to need Jarred Vanderbilt when they take on the Houston Rockets in the playoffs.
The Lakers won the regular season series, but without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves the team will need everyone to pitch in. Vanderbilt is best known for his defense, and he’ll be required to slow down players like Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson. Vanderbilt broke down how to guard Durant and emphasized it’s a group effort.
“It takes everybody. It won’t be one guy’s assignment,” he said after Friday’s practice. “He’s a hell of a talent, we’ve seen what he can do in playoff settings. It’ll be a group assignment. Every time he’s on the floor everybody has to have a head on a swivel and he’s pretty much the most dangerous person on their team so it’ll be all hands on deck, it’ll be everybody.”
Vanderbilt also explained that rebounding will be a major key to the series.
“It’s something that we’ve been harping on all week,” Vanderbilt said. “It’s going to be a big part of the game, especially offensive rebounds. Sometimes those are momentum swingers, they’re game changers so trying to limit them on the glass and just making sure everybody out there boxing out and putting a body on somebody. Obviously we harp on it all week but in during the game we see it happen and guys gotta be able to take accountability and take constructive criticism and be able to move on and execute the next play.
“But that’s a big point of emphasis for us right now, rebounding, boxing out, putting bodies on bodies and it’s going to be a physical series. The team that sets the tone first and initiates the contact they set the rules, set the tone for the series. So I think for us going out there and being the one to hit first instead of retaliating I think that would be a big difference for us.”
Vanderbilt also listed out ways for Los Angeles to set the tone in the series.
“One of them is on the glass,” he said. “I think picking up whether it’s full-court or just contesting everything. Contesting shots, contesting passes, everything, making it hard. They got certain spots they want to get to where start their plays. Being able to push them out and just make it tough on them every time they’re on the floor. Everybody.
“Whoever’s bringing the ball up, whoever’s passing the ball, pushing them out of their spots. Giving up no layups, or if it’s a hard foul, just being physical. Giving no wide-open layups, it’s the playoffs. Being able to just set the tone, the refs gonna play accordingly to how the game is going so I think that’ll be one of our advantages if we set the tone.”
LeBron James echoed Vanderbilt’s statements about rebounding and physicality, so it’ll be interesting to see how the group approaches this once Game 1 tips off.
Jarred Vanderbilt emphasizes ‘unity’ after spat with JJ Redick
Vanderbilt and head coach JJ Redick got into a situation a few weeks ago, prompting plenty of reaction on social media. However, the two have buried the hatchet and Vanderbilt recently preached unity for the group.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.