LA Lakers coach JJ Redick made a surprising admission about Jarred Vanderbilt after his team's 116-114 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Vanderbilt was back in the rotation due to Austin Reaves' injury opening up minutes for another player. Speaking to reporters after the win, Redick credited Vanderbilt for the Lakers' 18th win of the season. He was on the court for 15 minutes, providing seven points, seven rebounds, two steals and one block. He played really well in his limited playing time, using his defense to give his team a boost."He helped us win that game," Redick said, according to Lakers Nation.Jarred Vanderbilt lost his place in the rotation upon the return of LeBron James on Nov. 18 against the Utah Jazz. He received nine DNPs in the last 10 games, playing for a brief period on Dec. 7 in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. JJ Redick explained his decision to remove Vanderbilt from the rotation last week, saying that it was due to his fit with James. While Vanderbilt's defense is vital, he can't play alongside "The King" if he can't knock down shots. "I had communicated to him even before LeBron came back that there were certain things that he needed to be able to do consistently to play before LeBron came back," Redick said, according to Silver Screen and Roll. "After LeBron came back and that there was potentially going to be a numbers crunch because we probably were going to play a nine-man rotation and that’s that was just the reality."With the Lakers' main problem being defense, Vanderbilt can help Marcus Smart stabilize it. However, he will need to improve his offense if he wants to remain in the rotation for the rest of the season. Jarred Vanderbilt points out what's lacking in Lakers' defenseSpeaking to the media after the Lakers' practice on Friday, Jarred Vanderbilt opened up about his benching. Vanderbilt pointed out the problem in the team's defense and what he can provide if given another opportunity. "Obviously it’s been a trending thing even when we were winning," Vanderbilt said, according to ClutchPoints. "The defense still wasn’t there. We were just outscoring everybody. Obviously, during a loss, it’s an appropriate time to address certain things so it won’t keep lingering and get worse."While the Lakers have an impressive winning record, they have one of the worst defensive ratings among teams that can be considered playoff contenders.