The Los Angeles Lakers entered the season with a ton of question marks, but none bigger than their backup center position.

The addition of Walker Kessler was one to behold, as it immediately bolstered that position after losing Anthony Davis. That's been a big hole to fill, and the Lakers did that this past summer.

While his addition has been a massive upgrade so far, the backup-center issue is easily their biggest problem. Kevon Looney is unplayable most of the time, and it's hurt the Lakers a lot at the start of the season.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Sandro Mamukelashvili Give Lakers Intriguing New Option

After Kessler, the Lakers don't have a reliable big man, but they may have found something earlier this week. Jarred Vanderbilt got his first run of the season on Wednesday against the Clippers.

JJ Redick didn't bother going to the veteran forward in the first four games of the season; he had no choice but to turn to him on Wednesday, as the Lakers were depleted that night.

Vanderbilt made the most of it. The 27-year-old forward proved ready despite not being in the rotation, and, more importantly, he found his groove with his fellow frontcourt mate, Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Redick noted that the Mamukelashvili-Vanderbilt duo was a sight to see.

“It was good,” Redick said.

“I think we had (Vanderbilt) on [Brook] Lopez. He did a great job. We showed a clip a halftime of fronting him in the post and not allowing him to get the basketball. Vando is always gonna play hard, he’s always gonna impact the game with just his effort. I thought he did that tonight. The pairing with Mamu is probably the best pairing in terms of having another big out there that can space and shoot and play-make.”

Lakers Should Give Jarred Vanderbilt a Chance Over Kevon Looney

Vanderbilt's first contest of the 2026-27 season couldn't have been any better. In 21 minutes of action, Vanderbilt recorded seven rebounds and two assists.

He attempted only one shot, missed it, and, more importantly, finished with a +21 in 21 minutes. As for Mamukelashvili, he was a +21 in 30 minutes of action.

If the Lakers are healthy, Vanderbilt will likely remain a healthy scratch. However, given how Looney is playing to start the season, the solution should be to play Vanderbilt.

His offensive game may leave plenty to be desired, but he has shown that he can at least provide value defensively.

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