Average of 1.4 points in the playoffs! The Lakers have to give him $48 million in four years. Is Fan Debiao a useless person?

Although there is still some time before the offseason, most NBA team fans are already looking forward to the team's offseason strengthening. Where to go Antetokounmpo is undoubtedly the biggest topic. Chinese fans are very concerned about Yang Hansen's draft results. For Lakers fans, there are more things to pay attention to this summer. Can Pelinka find a suitable center? Will James cut his salary and renew his contract? Will Reeves be traded? In fact, the issues that the Lakers have to think about in the summer are far more complicated than these, especially the handling of role players is very critical. Judging from this year's playoffs, the Lakers' role players' functions are too single. Those who can shoot cannot defend, and those who can defend cannot attack. They lack some unimaginable players. Finney Smith is one, but it is obviously not enough to rely on him alone. It is a pity that Lakers forward Vanderbilt should have been such a role.

What is a bit embarrassing is that recently, a Lakers media posted a photo of Vanderbilt shared with fans, and wrote: "I realized that after missing 56 games, Vanderbilt averaged only 1.4 points in the playoffs after missing 56 games, but in a blink of an eye, his total salary was as high as $48 million!" Vanderbilt signed a four-year, $48 million early contract renewal in 2023, which expired in 2028. The Lakers chose to renew Vanderbilt because he performed very well after joining the Lakers in the 2022-2023 season. He injected unlimited energy and vitality into the Lakers in defensive end and rebounding competition, which made the Lakers believe that Vanderbilt is an indispensable puzzle for their championship, and renewal is a question that does not require more thought.

But unexpectedly, after completing the contract renewal with the Lakers, Vanderbilt's glass attributes gradually exposed. Since he was seriously injured by the Warriors in the 2023 playoff semi-finals, Vanderbilt played in the Western Conference Finals with an injury, but his performance was very bad, and the Lakers were also unfortunately eliminated. In the subsequent 2023-2024 season, Vanderbilt played and stopped, missed a large number of games, and was reimbursed in the season in February 2024, and was unable to even play for the Lakers. In the playoffs, although Vanderbilt returned healthy this season, it can be seen that his athletic ability has declined a bit, and his offensive ability is still urgent. In the playoffs, Vanderbilt averaged 1.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1 assist and 0.6 steals per game, which did not meet the expectations of the Lakers and fans at all. Some fans even said that Vanderbilt is one of the most disappointing players of the Lakers this season. The Lakers gave him a 4-year, 48 million contract, which was completely ruined.

In terms of data and court performance, Vanderbilt's current positioning in the Lakers is indeed embarrassing. Without shooting, he is around James and Doncic, and it is difficult for him to provide offensive threats. Even at the basket, Vanderbilt now lacks the ability to finish pick-and-roll, so that the only thing he can do on the court is to grab rebounds or try to defend his opponent's arrow players. But he has actually not done well in this regard this season. If he really wants to say the highlight, it may be that he is still passionate, but for the championship team, it is obviously not enough to have passion alone. If Vanderbilt cannot improve himself in the summer, even if he will not be traded by the Lakers next season, he will most likely be abandoned by Redick.

Of course, the current situation is not a problem for Vanderbilt alone. To a certain extent, Vanderbilt's downturn this season is partly due to Reddick's problem. Because the Lakers lack the inside, Reddick has been making Vanderbilt play in a position that is not suitable for him, and even asked Vanderbilt to play center. You should know that Vanderbilt's advantage is mobility, fighting and fighting, and chasing the outside line to prevent biting. Reddick asked him to squat the inside and get the big center to grab rebounds. Isn't this a embarrassment for others? So although Vanderbilt's performance this season is very poor, if the Lakers can find the right center in the offseason, free Vanderbilt and return to the right position, and Vanderbilt can work hard to develop projections, he will definitely become an important battle force for the Lakers next season.