In terms of roster configuration, the Los Angeles Lakers are definitely one of the best teams this season, but now this luxury team has been reduced to the point where they need to go through the play-offs to qualify for the playoffs. As a team with a championship tradition, the Lakers are not in satisfactory form right now. However, the Lakers' current slump is also related to Vanderbilt's absence.
In the middle of the regular season last season, the Lakers acquired Vanderbilt through a trade. When the Lakers first acquired Vanderbilt, the role player didn't get much attention, but Vanderbilt earned trust with his positivity. Especially in the process of the playoffs, Vanderbilt played a role in the miracle, providing important help to the Lakers on both offensive and defensive ends, and finally helped the Lakers create the Black Seven myth.
In order to ensure the stability of the roster, the Lakers offered Vanderbilt a four-year, $48 million contract extension in the offseason, and this contract also put more salary pressure on the Lakers. Vanderbilt naturally wanted to help the Lakers continue to maintain a consistent record, but unfortunately due to injury, he was sidelined for a long time this season. Although he made a brief comeback, he was once again sidelined due to injury, which also affected the Lakers' roster rotation.
The Lakers signed a number of new signings in the offseason, but in terms of practical role, none can match Vanderbilt. Reddish has the title of 3-and-D and is always unable to play on the court, although Hayes has good maneuverability, but he cannot be trusted by Hamm, and Vincent even sits on the cold bench due to injury. Compared to these guys, Vanderbilt's tactical adjustment ability and adaptability are better.
On the defensive end, Vanderbilt is definitely an important defensive gate for the Lakers' forward. Even if he is a little thin, once Vanderbilt is in defensive form, he will not think about who the opponent is, but only how to steal the ball in the opponent's hand. Vanderbilt was also able to use his quick lateral movement to limit the opponent's breakaways when facing defenders, buying time for his teammates to step up and help defend.
While maintaining defensive quality, Vanderbilt can also contribute on the offensive end. Vanderbilt doesn't have many shots on the outside, but once the opportunity arises, Vanderbilt can still ensure a certain shooting percentage, so that opponents dare not let him go easily. It is precisely because of Vanderbilt's presence that Davis has more space to attack, while also being able to make appropriate passes.
The Lakers spent a lot of money on the full roster, but Vanderbilt's absence still affected the team's rotation. Even though the Lakers already have James and Davis on the roster, Vanderbilt is still an integral part of the Lakers in a tactical sense. Without Vanderbilt's presence, there isn't much chance that the Lakers want to play well.