With the Lakers bringing back 10 players from last year’s team, they’ll need a combination of the new guys gelling well and the players coming back improving if they want to have more success in 2026 than they had in 2025.

Stars like Luka Dončić, LeBron James and even Austin Reaves can be expected to play at the same level they did last year, so where can unexpected improvement come from?

A role player like Jarred Vanderbilt taking a leap forward is exactly the kind of lift that could push the Lakers to another level.

So far during his time in Los Angeles, Vanderbilt has missed more games than he’s played due to injury. Over the past two seasons, Vando played in 65 of a possible 164 games.

This summer, he entered the offseason injury-free and has taken advantage of his newfound health

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