Lakers Jake Laravia & Jarred Vanderbilt IN THE LAB Putting in WORK! | Laravia + Vando 25-26 Outlook!

Lakers Jake Laravia & Jarred Vanderbilt IN THE LAB Putting in WORK! | Laravia + Vando 25-26 Outlook!

[Music] You know, whenever we talk about what the Lakers need and maybe the missing piece to their current roster, the term that’s often referred to as a 3 and wing, which in my opinion, I probably would agree with at this current moment. They don’t really have a reliable option. Not a guy that’s a proven 3 and option. You know, guys like Marcus Smart, who’s good on defense, but not quite reliable offensively. a guy like Dalton Connect who’s been good offensively but not good defensively. Same with Ruy Hatchimura. Good offensively but not quite to that level on defense. Or then for Jared Vanderbilt, good on defense but not offensively. And the last guy that’s kind of in that conversation is probably Jake Larabia. The guy that probably has special argument to become a 3D wing. Only 23 years old and showed some dramatic improvement last season. really on both ends of the court. For the first time, shooting above 35% from three, which is kind of the barometer and kind of the baseline to become a 3 and wing, that being the three-point shooting part. Then the defense, you can point to either the eye test or the numbers, but you got to be at least average to get the 3 and kind of definition and the 3 and skill set, which Jakeia did show capable of last season. Now, the only question is, can he maintain it? Can he become that for their team and therefore they don’t have to make a trade for one or try to add one through either the bio market or later on in free agency? Maybe. And if you ask me, it could maybe be a combination between both Jakeia and Jared Vanderbilt together. Vanderbilt obviously offering more defense, but having a ton of room for improvement left offensively, which he finally has time and the ability to get on the court to work on this summer, finally having a healthy offseason for literally the first time in two years now. Jake the Arabia, the same can be said for him, having a fully healthy off season and therefore having room to work on defense and his all-around game as well. So between the two of them, they might be able to fill that 3 and wing aspect for the team. Therefore, again making them not have a need for it and maybe something they don’t desperately have to trade for, which would obviously be a good thing. And between the two of them, I’m really looking forward to watching them next season. Everything in regard to their development, kind of what they have to offer the team and their role on the team next season. So, we’re going to talk about that and break down what it maybe will or should look like with the team. So, without further ado here, beginning by talking about Jake the Rabia as he is a new addition for their team and therefore I have more to talk about with him. And you know, Jake the Ravia is obviously very young yet, only being 23 and therefore has a ton of room for growth on both ends of the court. But for the Lakers team and what they need from him, especially next season, will be more reliable defense. And he showed a little bit of it last season. you know, whether you’re talking about again the eye test or the numbers, he definitely did show improvement on defense, having a plus 1.1 defensive BPM rating. And the fact that he defended not only one position, but literally one through four on the court is actually a pretty good sign that Larabia is improving on defense, showing more commitment on defense, and might be able to become a fairly versatile defender, too. Per bballindex.com, Jake the Rabia defended point guards roughly 17% of the time last season, having a C grade while doing so, defending shooting guards roughly 29% of the time. Also having a grade of a C defending them, defending small forwards roughly 27% of the time. This being his best matchup and having an A grade when matched up with small forwards. Then defending power forwards roughly 19% of the time. Also having a fairly decent grade here with a B minus. then defending centers roughly eight% of the time grading out with a D here. So point to that, he definitely does defend his own position pretty well. That being small forward and that’s kind of what I point to with him. And thankfully that’s kind of what the Lakers need most here. Apart from Jared Vanderbilt, they don’t really have a big wing defender. So after Vanderbilt and I guess if you want to throw a do the in there too, though he’s not likely to be part of the rotation or not every game rotation in my opinion, then I’d probably point to Jake Rav as their next best option, which might sound a bit funny, but he did show it last season too. And although you might compare his body type and position to a Rui Hatchima, for example, though they’re actually very different and they move very different, too. Yes, they’re both roughly 6’8 and 235 lbs to 240 lb, having a pretty well-developed frame, but Jake the Rabia is a lot more mobile in regard to side to side athletic ability. Rui Hatchima is a bit more athletic in regard to north to south athletic ability, probably being a better vertical leaper. But for defense, you definitely need more side to side movement if you’re guarding perimeter players, which both of them do plenty for their team, and Raia is simply better at doing it. I mean, pointing to his screen navigation for one thing. This is kind of my main complaint with Rui isn’t good at getting around screens and navigating the court on defense. Therefore, his best position on defense is power forward and even small ball center at times. Not really a small forward or kind of a guard defender. He doesn’t do that very well in my opinion. But Jake the Raia actually does it fairly well and again he showed it last season too. For example, here he is matched up with Desmond Bane, a former teammate and having to navigate a few screens while trying to keep up with him. Lava is actually able to do it even while keeping up with a really quick guy like Desmond Bane and not to mention a great three-point shooter so he has to stay attached to him. Labraia does a pretty damn good job here and again most importantly is able to keep up with Desmond Bane which eventually leads to him creating a turnover. Desmond Bane not being able to get away from him or then get past him on a drive to the rim. Then he tries to pass over the top of the Rabbia’s head and the Rabbia deflects it away. Or then the next time down the court showing off his switchability a little bit guarding Desmond Bane and picking him up at half court navigating a screen and then switching on defense to Lamar Stevens. Stevens trying to basically run right through Jake Labraia. Labia’s build holding up and once again deflecting a pass for another turnover for their team. Now, obviously, we’re only looking at two examples here, so don’t dig too much into it. You can definitely find other players where Larabia doesn’t do the right thing here or maybe gets lost on a screen. But if we’re comparing him to a Rui Hatimera or simply what the Lakers don’t have much of on defense, especially on the wing, I’d say that Jake Leavia does have potential to fill that role for their team. Adding another guy that’s not simply Jared Vanderbilt, a guy that actually can be a 3D option potentially, that’s what Labraia might be able to offer their team really on both ends of the court. And then talking more about that offense, you know, I think this is more the given with him. I’m actually fairly confident in Jake the Rabbium maintaining what he did last season. Not only in regard to the scoring production or the three-point shooting, but all around getting better on defense and maintaining what he did again, too. Whether you’re talking about the three-point shooting, you know, not going to say he’ll replicate the 42.3%, but I think shooting at or above 40% is very believable, especially when coming to a team with better playmakers like Luca Donic and LeBron James. So, that will definitely help him out. or then simply talking about his ability to create for himself. Actually is a pretty good ball handler and actually probably a lot better than you might think is pretty crafty. Then with his rather large build, if a smaller defender is guarding him, he can bully them and get directly to the rim. So that’s the advantage for Jake Arabia. Whether you’re talking about his onball ability, off ball ability with three-point shooting, or simply everything he can do offensively, is a fairly versatile option. And not to mention can play anywhere from shooting guards, small forward, even power forward, that’s definitely an advantage for him in the rotation and likely could lead to more playing time for himself too. And while I’m definitely not pinning him and Jared Vanderbilt against each other, I think they’ll actually share the core quite often and probably will be a pretty good wing fit together. One thing I would point to Jake Rabio with, and if he can maintain it or even improve it, then they might have a lesser need for Vanderbilt on the court. not only with the defense, that’s kind of the first thing to point to with it, but also the rebounding with him. You know, he’s actually a better rebounder than Rui Hatchim in my opinion. Last season, grabbing roughly seven of them per 36 minutes. Also grabbing two and a half offensive rebounds per 36 minutes. Again, does have a fairly similar build to Rui Aimera, but is also quick and a bit more athletic in regard to side to side movement on defense. So that can help him out and potentially take away minutes from maybe both Jared Vanderbilt and Ruy Hatchima in some matchups. So that’s another thing to point to with Jake the Rabia. And overall, while there definitely tend to be a lot of ifs with Jake Draabia. if he can maintain his three-point shooting and overall offensive production. If he can improve on defense and to show what he did at moments last season and throw his young career, if he can do that and build off of that, then he could potentially fill a big role for their team and maybe even become a starter down the line for their team. Definitely a lot of here, but I do like the outlook with Jake Rabia with their team. But how about for Jared Vanderbilt? Is he simply what he is at this point and there’s no room left for him and no hope left for him to improve? In my opinion, I really don’t think so. Yes, unfortunately, he hasn’t really shown much improvement in the past two years, but I would really point to his time off the court and not being able to be on the court from his injuries, mainly throughout the summer, and therefore not being able to work on his game and really his offensive game. I’d point to more of that holding him back rather than a lack of caring or trying to get better or simply not having the ability to get better. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to say that he’s going to come out there and be a 35% three-point shooter. I’m not sure I would hope for that, but I’m definitely hoping for some three-point shooting improvement here. Not only three-point shooting, but all around offensive game in general. You know, hopefully getting back to his comfortability on offense like he was during the 2022 23 NBA season. You know, I’d point to that and say that he looked better at that time and for whatever reason got less comfortable offensively, less comfortable with the ball in his hands and definitely has to work on that in his game. So between all of that, I really hope he’s working on it. And we actually can point to it with him, working out with NBA trainer Chris Johnson throughout the summer, working on his three-point shot, ball handling ability, passing ability, simply comfortability with the ball in his hands. So if that can translate to the actual NBA court and NBA action, then Vanderbilt could become a more valuable player for them and definitely spend more time on the court with their team, too. I mean, after all, there’s really zero question about the guy’s defense or rebounding ability for that fact, too. The only kind of minor one being the role they put him in and the defensive role they ask of him. I’ve often mentioned this and pointed to it, so I won’t go on a tangent again, but that’s probably the one thing I liked about Darvin with Jared Vanderbilt compared to what JJ Rag has done with their team and with Jared Vanderbilt specifically. Darinham letting Vanderbilt be more of that defensive pest and kind of to run mayhem on defense. Renick putting him more around the rim and defending bigger players rather than on ball players all the time. And you can directly point to that throughout the season and really with the players he matched up with. I’m hoping he gets more back to that. And if he does, I have no question about his ability to be the elite defender that he once was for the team. Take on the best matchup on the court every game, no matter what player we’re talking about. Vanderbilt can defend one through four on the court and therefore can match up with pretty much any player on the court other than true centers. So again, not too worried about him on defense, not worried about his rebounding ability, simply worried about his game on offense and ability to become a bit more reliable for their team. Expectation wise, I’d guess I’d say above 30% for their team from three. You know, not going to expect him to knock down two to three of them per game, but hopefully around 30% overall, 30 to 33%, ideally around 35%, but not going to ask too much from him yet. corner three-point shooting between 35 to 38% and believe it or not he actually was at that last season. Obviously taking a very low volume of them, so don’t read too much into it, but did shoot 37.5% on corner threes to their team last season. So if he could do more of that and take a little bit more of them, then I’d actually be pretty happy with Vanderbilt in regard three-point shooting. Though, in regard to the all-around offense stuff, knowing when to cut and make timely back door cuts, that’s something I again thought he was better at at one time and really didn’t show much of it last season. Being more comfortable with the ball, not having butter fingers when he has the ball, and being a bit turnover prone at times, simply knowing where to be on the court, and being a bit more comfortable with their offense, and in year two of JJ Rex’s offensive system. That’s what I’m looking forward to Vanderbilt and hoping for him to show improvement on, too. And well, between the both of Jared Vanderbilt and Jake the Rabbia, definitely two guys that could make a gigantic difference to their team, potentially two guys that could prevent a trade from happening on their team. Again, that being for a 3 and wing and therefore filling the need for their team rather than having to give up trade assets to do it. They definitely have plenty of expectations to fill on their team, but I think they’re capable of doing it, especially for Jakeia and hopefully with your advantage build offensively, too. But with all of that being said, what do you guys think? How do you feel about the outlook for both Jake Draia and Jared Vanderbilt and what do you think they have to be working on this summer? Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below. But I think that’ll pretty much do it for this one. And if you enjoyed the video, then I’ll greatly appreciate it if you dropped a like, subscribe to the channel if you have not already, and hit that notification bell to never miss out when I upload a video. But as always, thank you for watching and have a great day or night. [Music]

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