Lakers head coach JJ Redick is optimistic that the team’s defense will take a noticeable step forward this season, thanks in large part to the offseason addition of Marcus Smart and the improved health of Jarred Vanderbilt.
As Khobi Price of the Orange County Register reports, both players have strong reputations as perimeter stoppers, but their recent impact has been limited by injuries over the past two years.
“With a healthy Vando and hopefully a healthy Marcus, our ability to put more pressure on the basketball earlier in the defensive possession will be a real thing,” Redick explained, emphasizing the difference their presence could make in shaping the team’s defensive identity.
Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, has already been dealing with Achilles tendinopathy that has restricted his participation in camp.
However, Redick reassured reporters that the veteran guard is expected to be fully cleared by the end of the week. Smart has appeared in just 54 total games across the last two seasons, and the Lakers are counting on him to be the defensive anchor he was in Boston.
“I’ve talked with JJ and what he expects from me on both ends, especially the defensive end,” Smart said. “It’s everything I’ve been doing my whole career. It’s nothing new and I remember the first thing he told me was ‘hey, if we’re going to get the Celtics’ Marcus Smart, that’s who we want, that’s who we need. And we need you to be that person and be who you are.’ So for me, it’s just coming out and giving everything I got on this court and leaving it out there every night.”
As for Vanderbilt, he endured a difficult 2023 offseason in which he required surgery on both feet. The procedures delayed his return until late January, leaving him little chance to get into rhythm.
Now, he says the difference has been night and day after finally getting a full summer to work on his conditioning and skill development.
“It feels great being able to have a full summer under my belt. I was able to really work on my game, work on my body, and just having that confidence going into the year instead of playing catch up,” Vanderbilt noted. “Being able to be a part of training camp early, and it’s a different level of approach and preparation when you already put the work in and being able to start fresh.”
Lakers Notes: Smart, Vanderbilt, Kleber, Backcourt Rotation, Koloko https://t.co/l6eL4hrxSz pic.twitter.com/3p8xMcdt1v
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) October 2, 2025
