Lakers Weigh Jarred Vanderbilt as Center Amid Looney Struggles
The Los Angeles Lakers need a dependable backup center after Kevon Looney struggled in the season’s opening games. Jarred Vanderbilt has drawn calls for a chance in the role, but his scoring limitations could undermine the spacing the team wants to create. The Lakers have used Sandro Mamukelashvili at center, while potential external moves may take time to emerge.
The Los Angeles Lakers need more dependable depth at center after Kevon Looney struggled through the season’s opening games. Jarred Vanderbilt has emerged as an internal option, but his offensive limitations could complicate a switch to the position.
The issue has surfaced during the Lakers’ unbeaten start. Looney did not play in the second half of the team’s last two games, which examined the backup-center question in a mailbag published on October 28.
That leaves the Lakers weighing an internal adjustment against possible roster moves. For now, they have used Sandro Mamukelashvili at center.
Vanderbilt has been out of the rotation since the start of preseason, but the argument for trying him rests on his rebounding. If the Lakers play without a traditional center and maintain five-out spacing, his lack of three-point shooting might be less damaging than it would be in a wing role, Silver Screen and Roll reported.
The challenge is broader than his perimeter shot. The outlet said Vanderbilt also struggles to finish around the rim, and described his scoring as a major obstacle to earning minutes. Defenses may give him little attention, making it harder for the Lakers to preserve the spacing they want on offense.
jarred vanderbilt faces an offensive trade-off
That trade-off matters because a backup center must help the Lakers cover minutes without disrupting the rest of the lineup. Vanderbilt’s rebounding could address one need, but the team would also have to account for the space defenses could concede to him.
Silver Screen and Roll said the current arrangement with Mamukelashvili at center is working and that the Lakers do not particularly need Vanderbilt to play at present. The outlet nevertheless noted a case for giving him a chance under the team’s current circumstances, while warning that familiar offensive problems could reappear.
There may be limited scope for an immediate outside fix. The report said trades before December 15 are uncommon, though possible, and suggested the Lakers are likely to look within the roster during the opening months of the season before teams are more willing to discuss deals.
A signing from overseas also appears unlikely, according to the same report. It said a buyout in a European player’s contract would not count against the salary cap, but argued that players who move to Europe at this career stage generally have little remaining NBA interest.
The question for coach JJ Redick is therefore not simply whether Vanderbilt can rebound at center. It is whether that contribution outweighs the offensive spacing problem that has kept him off the floor. Silver Screen and Roll’s assessment was that Looney may not be playable in most matchups this season, leaving the Lakers in need of a viable backup center even as their current option remains Mamukelashvili.
