When Jarred Vanderbilt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2023 as part of the deal that got rid of Russell Westbrook, he quickly became a fan favorite because of his hustle, especially defensively and on the boards. But his time with the Lakers, to a certain extent, has been marred by injuries.
Last season, he missed the first several weeks of the schedule with a heel ailment. Then several weeks after returning, just when it looked like he was hitting his stride, he suffered a foot injury that kept him out for a full calendar year
After he came back from that foot injury, Vanderbilt was able to stay healthy the rest of the way. During his exit interview following L.A.’s five-game opening-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, he said he’s excited to go into an offseason healthy.
While the 6-foot-8 forward can defend multiple positions and give his team a sizable boost on the boards, he is very limited offensively. This could be a real opportunity for him to start to develop a respectable outside jumper, which is considered the biggest weakness in his game.
He shot 28.1% on 0.9 3-point attempts a game during the regular season, and opposing teams would practically pay him to take open shots from downtown whenever he wants. Getting that 3-point accuracy into the mid-30s would greatly increase his value to the Lakers, not to mention his playing time.
Steph Curry reminisced on his time with former Warriors teammate Donte DiVincenzo as the two get set to face off in the Western Conference semifinals
Curry was asked about DiVincenzo’s growth over the years, to which he replied with a heartwarming response. But he made one thing perfectly clear about the Minnesota Timberwolves guard.
“It’s been fun to watch,” Curry told reporters in Minnesota on Tuesday, “but I don’t want to see him do great these next two weeks.”
DiVincenzo spent the 2022-23 season with Golden State in a year that rejuvenated his career, which helped him land a four-year, $50 million contract with the New York Knicks.
Curry spoke about how he helped lure DiVincenzo to the Warriors, and how proud he is of him, from watching him up close as teammates to afar as competitors.
It’s been amazing to watch,” Curry said. “One of the first conversations I had with him in the offseason when he was deciding where he wanted to go and I was selling Golden State on a great opportunity for him to reestablish himself as one of those guys in the league to seeing how it played out throughout the year, how well he played, us going in that series against Sacramento and LA and then phone call that next summer. Some guidance or wisdom I might have had on how to handle that free agency perspective, knowing everything turned out the way it was supposed to.
“Him coming in, playing extremely well, shooting the ball at a high level [and then] getting rewarded for that with the contract he got in New York. And now to see him being a part of two playoff teams two years in a row. There’s a reason he’s in the rotation and a valuable resource for both of those teams. He’s a great player. He’s a champ. He’s elevated his game.”
DiVincenzo was traded to the Timberwolves last offseason, and in 62 regular-season games, he averaged 11.7 points on 42.2-percent shooting from the field and 39.7 percent from 3-point range, with 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 25.9 minutes.
The respect is mutual between the former teammates and forever friends, but once the ball is jumped Tuesday night, it won’t be so friendly.
