Jarred Vanderbilt Discussion: The Vandalorian

Yeah he's awful managing minutes, agree there

He needs to improve there but it's very unfair to give a negative note. Season wasn't easy and in January nobody believed in this team

Next season is a clean slate with all the tools for a deeper roster. If he keeps the same pattern, it's a problem.
I think he has learned from his mistakes. He's very stubborn, but this year we saw more versatility on defense (relied too much on switching before), offense became more dynamic, things he learned from last year. He's young and if willing to learn, he'll only get better

 

I think it's time to move on from him this summer because he's not worth the price tag if the coach doesn't believe in him. And JJ definitely doesn't.

I'm curious if there's any residual issues from their back and forth in the loss.


I also think Vando's defense is getting too much credit based on history. Vando ain't that Vando anymore cause of the pile up of injuries. He can still make an impact as a hustle guy who can defend a bit, mix it up and grab a few boards but he's not the lock down defender he was a few years ago. His +/- have not been kind, either.

Moving him will be hard unless we attach a pick, something we don't like doing. The one path Buha brought up as an example, you find a guy who's worth 1 pick or maybe a little more than 1 pick (Herb is the example he's used) and then use an additional first in that deal to dump Vando or Vando + DK. Ideally we negotiate your way into Missi being included and get a 2nd round pick or two back

 

lol, i was just saying in another thread that i think he's not as impactful as he was when he first got here. we may not be able to move him, but i also agree with svtzr's proposition that "negative value" depends on context. a bad team can afford 14 million dead dollars for a year and may just want to harvest picks as you're suggesting.

the herb example is a good one, as herb was basically NO's vando this year (formerly impactful defender sort of doing nothing for them).

 

I think he was solid. Very good on some rebs and being active even if it doesn't reflects in the stats. He was in the team that went on a little run in the end of Q2.

Also liked he was first sub. Great handling by him and JJ

 

With the number of athletes Houston has, you kind of have to have him out there. He did well and shrunk the athleticism gap for us. Contrast that to Jax, our other hyper athlete who has really struggled against Houston this year.

Only complaint for Vando in this one is he has to make quicker decision from that corner 3 spot. Shoot or swing without hesitation.

 

Vando was crucial in spots tonight. He was part of our best unit (Vando/Kennard/Rui/LeBron/Ayton) that opened the 4th and went +5 in 5 minutes, which is what took the lead to double digits. With a +50 net rating! 130 ortg and 80 drtg.

This is what I expect from Vando each game, and JJ knows it too, which makes his management of Vando during the regular season extremely perplexing. JJ obviously knows how to use him correctly when he wants to, and even if Luka and Austin were healthy, Vando would be necessary for defense against this team. So why did JJ put him in the doghouse and not play him a single second for 5-9 games in a row, multiple times this season? Including in March when we were getting ready for the playoffs? Yes yes, his offense. But as last night showed, he's the same Vando, but offensive warts and all, he's necessary for 10-20 min on this team. I'm glad JJ eventually figured it out, but it's still strange how he managed him all season long.

 

Idk if we watched the same game. Vando made one three in the first half and then immediately turned down multiple open threes on another possession, causing a near shot clock violation. Then he made a bad steal attempt 4 seconds into the shot clock which left Sheppard wide open for a three, he just missed it.

That stretch to open the 4th quarter had little to nothing to do with Vando. That was the stretch where Rui made the step back over Amen in isolation, then made another 18 footer in semi-transition. We also got two off the dribble threes from Luke and a deep pull up three from LeBron. That run was just great shotmaking from us tbh, plus the Rockets throwing the ball into the stands a few times because they have one guy (Sheppard) who can dribble the ball.

This is a good example of why +/- is tricky, especially for one game. Vando was a +4 last night, while Smart was -5. No one in their right mind who watched that game would say Vando had a better night that Smart. We're so short handed right now that I'm fine with him playing, but we're probably not getting that kind of shotmaking out of Luke again so I wouldn't mind seeing some of those minutes go to Kleber. Vando did do a pretty good job rebounding though.