JJ Redick Likes Pairing Jarred Vanderbilt With Sandro Mamukelashvili

Jarred Vanderbilt finally broke into the rotation for head coach JJ Redick on Wednesday night. It came out of necessity, as the Los Angeles Lakers were without Luka Doncic, Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr, but the veteran forward still made the most of it.

He didn’t score in 21 minutes of action, only taking one field goal attempt, but Vanderbilt collected seven rebounds and two assists and finished as a plus-22, one point shy of the game-high. Part of Vanderbilt’s effectiveness was being on the floor with Sandro Mamukelashvili, who many pegged as the perfect fit alongside the defensive-minded forward. Redick saw that as well, pointing it out as he praised Vanderbilt for his performance.

“Yeah, it was good,” Redick said. “I think we had (Vanderbilt) on Lopez. He did a great job. We showed a clip a halftime of fronting him in the post and not allowing him to get the basketball. Vando is always gonna play hard, he’s always gonna impact the game with just his effort. I thought he did that tonight. The pairing with Mamu is probably the best pairing in terms of having another big out there that can space and shoot and play-make.”

It’s unclear how much opportunity Vanderbilt will continue to get in Redick’s rotation. He did not play in any of L.A.’s first four games, and only got in against the Clippers due to significant absences on the wing in Doncic and Williams. If both are healthy and back in the lineup on Friday against the Golden State Warriors, Vanderbilt might go back to the end of the bench.

However, Redick — in the first two seasons as head coach — has shown a high willingness to give players opportunity if they make the most of it. Vanderbilt absolutely did that on Wednesday night, potentially earning him more minutes in the next game. The Warriors are arguably an even better matchup for Vanderbilt due to their lack of size.

It may also make sense to give Vanderbilt more opportunity if the Lakers continue to struggle with Kevon Looney in the lineup.

JJ Redick says Lakers respond to Collin Sexton

The Lakers got Collin Sexton back in the lineup after he missed all of preseason and the season opener. And while Sexton is an imperfect player, he has made an immediate impact. Redick credited his mentality for that.

“I think there’s a level of insanity with him and I think our team responds to insanity,” Redick said on Spectrum SportsNet. “It’s a good thing. He comes in the game and you know he’s in the game. I think defensively he’s trying to apply ball pressure. He’s trying to make hard closeouts. He’s trying to push the basketball. He’s trying to touch the paint. There’s an intensity to all that stuff and our guys responded.”