Jarred Vanderbilt On Importance Of Los Angeles Lakers Clinching Home-Court Advantage & Coming Back From ‘Tough’ Foot Injury

Jarred Vanderbilt is looking forward to the Los Angeles Lakers’ upcoming playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Vanderbilt may not be one of the Lakers’ two big stars — that distinction belongs to LeBron James and Luka Doncic — but he’s one of their key bigs as they look to make another deep playoff run this season. The 26-year-old is averaging 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per game as a pivotal member off of the bench.

The 6-foot-8 power forward started the season on the injured list after undergoing surgery on both of his feet. The injury sidelined him until January, with Vanderbilt not making his debut until Jan. 25.

“It was tough,” Vanderbilt says in a one-on-one interview of the injury at the start of the year. “Any time you have to sit out that long, it’s always tough, especially coming back in the middle of the season, when everybody’s already started. You’re pretty much playing catch up throughout the whole year, but it wasn’t an easy process. I’m still, even as of now, still working my way back into it and getting back in the rhythm and trying to make up for the lost time.”

Vanderbilt will be going up against his former Timberwolves teammates — he played for them from 2019-20 to 2021-22 — in Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid.

Vanderbilt says he hasn’t spoken to them yet, but it “should be a good series.”

“It should be a good series,” says Vanderbilt. “I played with a lot of those guys on either the Timberwolves and my former team, Utah. It should be an interesting matchup. Excited to go against them.”

The seven-year NBA veteran was a starter for the Lakers during their playoff run to the Western Conference Finals back in 2023. Vanderbilt was acquired from the Utah Jazz in the middle of the 2022-23 season and ended up starting 13 of the Lakers’ 15 postseason games.

Although he’s not a starter anymore, he’s playing the same role that he did a couple years prior as a shot-blocking menace and rim-rolling dunker. He averaged 16.5 minutes per game in the postseason in 2023, the same amount of playing time he’s receiving now as a player off the bench.

This time around the Lakers will have the advantage of having home-court advantage. It’s the first time Los Angeles has had true home-court advantage in the postseason since 2012. Perhaps most importantly, the Lakers won’t have to participate in the play-in tournament, saving them wear-and-tear entering the playoffs.

The Lakers will enter as the No. 3 seed while the Timberwolves will enter as the No. 6 seed, with Los Angeles opening up the series on Saturday night at home.

“For sure,” says Vanderbilt when asked if home-court advantage is a big deal. “This is my first time actually even having home-court advantage. Not being in the play-in, that itself is already an advantage. Being able to get a full week of rest and full week of preparation for the next team, and then also not having to travel the first two games, being able to be at home in our backyard.

“That’s why we were fighting so heavily to get that,” Vanderbilt continues to say of the Lakers clinching the No. 3 seed. “So glad we were able to make that happen.”

Jarred Vanderbilt Details Vegan Diet And Partnering With Beyond Meat

While most people know Vanderbilt for his shot-blocking highlights on the court, something else is notable about him off of the court – he’s a vegan. Vanderbilt has been a vegan since 2020 during COVID and says it’s a big part of his lifestyle.

“Being home during COVID I started off doing the challenge, 30 days, and then it kind of extended to 60 days,” says Vanderbilt of how he became a vegan. “I started noticing the benefits. My body started feeling good, and I just stuck with it from there. That’s kind of how it started, and it just kept going from there.”

Vanderbilt explains how it’s not just a partnership, it’s his way of life. He details how the diet has made him feel better on and off the court.

“I noticed the benefits on and off the court, just feeling lighter, feeling bouncier, having that feathery-like feel and also the benefits that caused less inflammation,” says Vanderbilt. “I just had more energy. I just felt great.”

The Houston, Texas native is partnering with Beyond Meat — a producer of plant-based meat substitutes — as a brand ambassador. He’ll serve as an advocate for the products while also doing social media content while he continues educating people about the vegan diet and lifestyle.

Vanderbilt began his partnership with Beyond Meat in 2023.

“I’ve been using their products for years,” says Vanderbilt. “I’ve been vegan for almost five years now, I’ve always used their products and stuff like that. I felt it made sense to finally partner up.”

Vanderbilt details how he eats about four or five meals a day and says the “Beyond Steak” tacos are his favorite product from Beyond Meat. He also mentions stir-fry and Chipotle bowls as favorite meals of his on a daily basis.

The young big man says a couple of former Lakers teammates have tried out the vegan lifestyle as he continues to spread awareness about plant-based products. He also mentions how “some” current Lakers — he won’t say who — are open to trying it.

“Last year, I had a couple teammates that were,” says Vanderbilt. “They’re no longer with us, but some of the ones now, they’re open to trying. I wouldn’t say they’re fully converted over, but some guys try it here and there, and include it in their diet. But none of them are currently fully transitioned.”