JJ Redick Refuses to Play Jarred Vanderbilt in Brutal Loss to Celtics While 3 G League Players Get Minutes

LA Lakers coach JJ Redick continued to snub Jarred Vanderbilt in Friday's blowout loss to the Boston Celtics. The forward has been out of the rotation since LeBron James' season debut on Nov. 18. Vanderbilt played 14 games before that, averaging 4.6 points and 5.6 rebounds on 44.0% shooting, including 28.6% from 3.

The Lakers could have used Vanderbilt against the Celtics, especially with Jalen Brown going off for 30 points. While the forward's offense hasn't been up to standards, his defensive playmaking could have aided LA in key stretches. The Lakers trailed by 29 at one point and cut the deficit to 17 in the third quarter.

However, Redick never considered Vanderbilt. The veteran didn't even enter the game down the stretch after the second-year coach waived the white flag. Vanderbilt was the only player who didn't take to the court.

G League players Bronny James, Nick Smith Jr. and Drew Timme were all given minutes over the veteran forward.

Why is Jarred Vanderbilt not playing? Lakers coach JJ Redick explains decision

JJ Redick explained the decision not to play Jarred Vanderbilt on Monday. The Lakers coach explained he would deploy a nine-man rotation for the rest of the season, which he communicated to Vanderbilt.

"I communicated to him before LeBron came back that there were certain things that he needed to be able to do consistently to play before LeBron came back, after LeBron came back and that there was potentially a numbers crunch because we probably were gonna play a nine-man rotation and that was just the reality," Redick said (via Lakers reporter Daniel Starkland).

The Lakers were in a hole offensively after missing shots early in the game, while the Celtics caught fire from deep. JJ Redick chose to roll with Dalton Knecht and Nick Smith Jr, hoping they would aid LA's offense.

Vanderbilt has struggled across the board offensively, even in areas that he used to thrive in as a slasher and rim runner. It's been one of the key reasons he's been unable to break into the rotation.