Jarred Vanderbilt has seen enough NBA turbulence to know what separates good teams from great ones — and after the Lakers held the Phoenix Suns to a season-low 73 points Friday night, he didn’t hesitate to explain what this group has been building toward all year.
Asked what the back-to-back wins over Golden State and Phoenix revealed heading into the playoffs, Vanderbilt kept it simple. “We learned the intensity we’ve got to play with. These last two games we played hard, we played together, we executed the game plan — and I feel like that’s what the playoffs are about. Toning into every detail, paying attention to the game plan, and it just comes down to the 50/50 balls and playing hard and the effort,” he said.
On the defensive performance that kept Phoenix pinned to their lowest-scoring game of the season — 19 points below their previous low — Vanderbilt pointed to collective buy-in rather than any single scheme. “We were flying around. We played team defense tonight. Everybody that played a minute was impactful on that end and we were on a string,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to need in the playoffs — everybody locked in. With the group we’ve got now, it’s going to be a team effort.”
Vanderbilt was also asked about the team’s broader ability to bounce back from adversity, a trait that has defined a season marked by injuries to Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and others. His answer was measured but pointed. “Adversity is inevitable in this league. Every team goes through ups and downs, injuries, losing streaks, winning streaks. The best teams are the ones that can withstand the tough times and bounce back quicker than other teams. I think that’s something we’ve been able to do this year,” he said.
Team unity has been a recurring theme in the Lakers’ locker room, and Vanderbilt credited straightforward communication for keeping things together. “We talked about it, we moved on from it, and at this point in the season we both realized this is the group we’ve got. It’s definitely not a time for anybody to separate. Unity, especially with our group right now, is super important,” he said.
Marcus Smart’s return from a nine-game absence was a visible lift for the entire bench, and Vanderbilt didn’t undersell what it means. “It means everything, having a guy like Marcus ignite our defense and make those hustle plays. That’s the story of Marcus all year — he’s been the guy that ignites us and makes big-time plays on the defensive end. Those are momentum swingers, and those plays are going to be super important in the playoffs,” Vanderbilt said.
When asked about his own role — both on the floor and in keeping the locker room composed — Vanderbilt described it as reading the moment. “Certain situations call for more intensity than others and you’ve got to be able to balance it out. For me personally, it’s been a work over time, being able to decipher when to bring out which side and whether the game or the team calls for it,” he said.
The Lakers close the regular season Sunday at home against Utah, with a chance to finish third in the West if Denver loses their final game — a tiebreaker advantage LA already holds.
