JJ Redick Praises Lakers Role Player for Maturity While Not Playing

Being a role player in the NBA comes with its difficulties. Yes, you don't have the pressure or the same level of responsibility as the starters and stars. However, you also don't have guaranteed playing time. For some players, playing some nights and not at all others simply doesn't work. Great role players figure out a way to always be ready. 

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick recently came out and praised Jarred Vanderbilt for remaining mature and locked in despite not getting consistent playing time. 

"Yeah, I mean, he's been good. He's been a pro. He's been great. In the most recent stay ready [game] that we had this week, he was great. He's been a great teammate. So, no surprise there. I had communicated to him, even before LeBron came back, that there were certain things that he needed to be able to consistently play before LeBron came back, after LeBron came back. And that there potentially was going to be a numbers crunch because we were probably going to play a nine-man rotation. And that was just the reality. Having said that, it doesn't mean that he's not going to be back in the rotation at some point, whether we're healthy or whether we're missing a couple of guys. When you're winning games, it's hard to re-do the rotation mid-winning streak. So, we're looking at everything. And there were some lineup combinations when we were injured that we had to go away from, and he was, I guess, caught up as sort of an innocent bystander in some ways, to that. I certainly had empathy for him, and it's not a fun situation to be in as a coach, and it's certainly not a fun situation for him to be in as a player."

Vanderbilt was a core part of the Lakers' rotation to start the season, but now has fallen out of it completely. These are the ebbs and flows of the NBA season. Vanderbilt is definitely going to get more opportunities this season to prove himself. The key is that he stays ready.