The Los Angeles Lakers’ defense sank to 20th in the league with a 116.5 defensive rating. That’s when JJ Redick pulled the plug and unleashed his defensive ace, Jarred Vanderbilt, against the Phoenix Suns. The coach had hinted this was coming, once saying, “People are gonna earn minutes; I think that goes for everybody,” flashing a knowing smile, amid the lineup shuffle after the 26-year-old player showed his potential in the first two preseason games.

Vanderbilt reflected that message and belief loud and clear. That moment arrived on Sunday. Redick had already given the player a heads-up a day earlier.

“I told him he was going to play,” Redick said. “It’s not like he wasn’t in the right headspace. He helped win us the game, full stop.”

After months of DNPs, Vanderbilt responded instantly, bringing energy and impact. In just 15 minutes, he logged seven points, seven rebounds, two steals, and a block in a tense 116-114 win.

The point is Vanderbilt delivered exactly what was needed.

Defense.

Jarred Vanderbilt became a defensive nuisance, hounding Devin Booker, Collin Gillespie, and Dillon Brooks. Redick loved the details. He called his rotation player “super disruptive.”

“When he did switch, he switched up, he used his length, he was in great shifts,” the Lakers coach said of the strategy. “Whether it was deflections, the steals, all of that. And then offensively, you know, cutting, crashing… he made a huge corner three there in the fourth as well. He starred in his role tonight. He was awesome.”

For weeks, Vanderbilt’s nights followed the same quiet script: healthy, suited up, and stuck watching. Redick shuffled lineups, talked about tight rotations, and even played more than nine guys, but Vanderbilt stayed on the outside. The timing wasn’t accidental.

Once LeBron James returned from his injury hiatus in mid-November, Vanderbilt slipped out of the rotation entirely, and the Lakers’ defense soon followed. Still, Redick insisted the door was never closed.

And James made sure the credit was shared today.

“Our bench won us the game tonight,” the Lakers veteran praised everybody coming on. “It’s that simple. Vando… for him to come in and give us that spark. Seven and seven, six offensive rebounds, I believe. He had defensive prowess, a couple of steals.”

Whether this performance locks Vanderbilt back into the rotation permanently is still unclear.

Jarred Vanderbilt stayed ready for this moment

Jarred Vanderbilt didn’t sulk through his month-long stay on the bench. Instead, he stayed patient. In his own mind, the ending was already written.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve been in this situation,” Vanderbilt said, showing maturity with his words. “The opportunity going to come back around.”

For him, it was never about frustration, just preparation, showing up to practice, being a good teammate, and staying mentally sharp.

The Lakers star believed that when his number was finally called again, he “wanted to be ready for it.”

The numbers from earlier in the season didn’t exactly scream opportunity. In the 15 games Vanderbilt played before the Suns matchup, he averaged 4.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Even then, the sudden call-up still caught him off guard.

After December 7, speaking about his limited minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers, Vanderbilt admitted the surprise but not the doubt.

“I’m pretty eager,” the 26-year-old player said. “Obviously, I think a lot of the stuff we lack, I think I can help provide on that end.”

The timing mattered. Over the Lakers’ last 10 games, they allowed 120.1 points per night, going 7-3 but winning by outscoring teams rather than by stopping them. Even during a seven-game win streak prior, the defensive cracks kept showing.

Vanderbilt saw it clearly.

“Obviously it’s been a trending thing even when we were winning,” he said. “The defense still wasn’t there. We were just outscoring everybody.”

That’s where Vanderbilt believed he fit in, and once he got his chance, he made sure he made his presence felt.