Sitting at 11-4 after their first 15 games, the Lakers are feeling pretty good about themselves. Luka Doncic is dancing. Austin Reeves is hugging. And LeBron James is setting traps.
Although the shakeups are intense, the next chapter of the season may be more indicative of who this team really is now that it’s complete. That said, there are some things we’ve already learned. And also the things that remain blurry.
So for the first time this year, let’s open up the notebook and see what piqued my interest.
Jared Vanderbilt: the man who disappeared
When the Lakers took the floor against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, they did so with their entire available roster.
LeBron James returns from his bout with sciatica. Gabe Vincent was back from a left ankle sprain. And both Maxi Kleber and Edou Thiero were also recently inducted. For the first time all season – including the preseason – the Lakers were complete.
However, the natural response to addition is subtraction. With more players getting involved in the team’s game of musical chairs, it’s Jared Vanderbilt who currently finds himself without a seat when the music stops.
In the Lakers’ previous game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Vanderbilt played only seven minutes despite the team being without James, Vincent, Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura. With everyone back against the Jazz, JJ Redick played 13 players, leaving Vanderbilt as the only player not included.
While the rotation will hopefully be in a state of flux with Redick having more options, it looks like the first loss will be to Vanderbilt. And considering those ahead of him on the depth chart and his own start to the year, it’s hard to argue against the decision.
Not only are Hachimura and James expected to soak up the majority of minutes up front, but players like Jake Laravia, and as seen recently, Kleber and Thiero have overtaken Vanderbilt on the call sheet.
It also seems unlikely for Vanderbilt to be able to slide down the field and get some playing time at center. With DeAndre Ayton anchoring the position and Jax Hayes serviceably supporting him, the need for small-ball looks has not been as necessary as last year.
Even though Vanderbilt remains the team’s most versatile defender, his offense is so limited that it diminishes his overall impact.
His finishing around the rim remains an adventure, as does his 3-point stroke. When Internet sleuths scoured footage of Vanderbilt’s Corner 3 splash in an empty gym as if it were Bigfoot evidence, there was little to no improvement in the actual game, shooting just 28.6% from downtown.
To make matters worse, Vanderbilt’s offensive rebound rate is down 3.4% from last year and has as many turnovers (22) as field goals.
Despite all this, Vanderbilt will likely find a way to get back on the floor. Whether it’s due to injury or situational matchups, he still has a skill set that very few other players on the roster possess. It may be in less headlines than before.
A submarine-throwing reliever who is more likely to face a lefty than an everyday player.
Deandre Ayton’s impeccable touch
Even the most ardent fan of the DeAndre Ayton signing will have to be impressed by the start of his Lakers career.
The counting figures are encouraging, the motor has turned and his ego has not left him, but he is right on the right frequency.
Following his departure from Phoenix and an inconsistent stint in Portland, Ayton’s perception of the league was tepid at best. His biggest critics criticized his effort level, his commitment to the game, and his impact on wins. That’s not the case in Los Angeles, at least not yet.
The effort has been there, which helps. But there’s one thing even his harshest doubters have to admit – the man’s got a sweet touch.
Unlike most big players, Ayton’s ability to finish around the rim, and especially from midrange, is skill-based rather than force. This fact has frustrated fans and possibly even teammates in the past. But on this roster, that’s actually their biggest strength.
Ayton often finds himself catching passes in his favorite zone, setting screens for players like Luka Doncic, Austin Reeves and now LeBron James. And she has been delivered there once.
As if blessed by Midas himself, Ayton is shooting an incredible 63% from midrange to start the year and 70% on his 2-point attempts overall. And when shot quality is accounted for, Ayton has made 8.1% more shots than expected, according to the league’s tracking data. This is currently the seventh-best mark in the NBA.
Between his timely timing on his picks and his ability to burn defenses to blitz the ball or blow up against his guard in the short role, Ayton’s chemistry with the team’s stars has only grown.
As of this writing, Doncic and Reeves are both in the top 10 in the league in assists for the same teammate. Of those top-10 assist combinations, Ayton is the only player to appear twice.
It remains to be seen whether Ayton can continue his strong move towards reviving his career. But as long as he keeps catching the ball at the free-throw line and below, history shows the thing is going to go in.
After facing a glut of games and a heavy backlog of missed games from key players, the Lakers are about to enter a potentially soft pocket of their schedule that could help them maintain their momentum.
Despite six of their next ten games being away to Los Angeles and facing two sets of back-to-backs, their opponents currently have a combined winning percentage of only .466%. According to positive residuals, it has the eighth-easiest strength of schedule in the league during the upcoming period.
It’s always a worthwhile reminder that there are no easy games in the NBA, no matter what the records say. However, for a team that needs to get James back into the flow of things and reconfigure their rotation as a result, doing so against struggling teams will certainly help.
Given how shorthanded they have been so far, the Lakers have won a number of games that many people would not have expected. But now that he is healthy, he needs to keep doing that while also trying to explore new challenges.
Unless otherwise stated, all data are courtesy of Glass Cleaning. You can follow Alex on BlueSky @alexregla.bsky.social,
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