Lakers depth chart: What happens when Jarred Vanderbilt returns?

We've got a long season ahead of us, folks, but if you want to remain relevant in the NBA's Western Conference, there can be no off days.

The Los Angeles Lakers put one in the win column on Opening Night by holding serve at home against the defending Western Conference finalist Minnesota Timberwolves. New head coach JJ Redick impressed in his debut, Anthony Davis was the best player on the court, and after the Lakers took the lead in the second quarter, they never let it go.

The Lakers will be back at it on Friday when they take on the Suns at Crypto.com Arena. Even in the intervening days, though, you just know that Redick is scheming how his team can be successful, both against Phoenix and in the long grind that is the NBA season.

Redick is eager to prove himself as an NBA head coach. He has a similar roster to the one that predecessor Darvin Ham got fired with, which could be a bad thing, or it could allow him to show what he can do. The trick for the former analyst and podcast host is that he needs to put his own stamp on the job and do what Ham couldn't in his final season — not only win, but win big.

Redick has said that his ideal vision for the team includes a nine-man rotation, and other than a short stint for Bronny James, he accomplished that on Opening Night. Start/sit decisions are about to become much trickier though, as the Lakers expect forward Jarred Vanderbilt back as soon as a week from now.

Vanderbilt is your prototypical glue guy because he hustles, he plays defense, and he doesn't dominate the ball. He's not much of a shooter, but other than that he's exactly the kind of player you want around two superstars with the gravitational pull of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Vando is a big reason why the Lakers have been 12 games over .500 in games that he plays in since he was acquired at the 2023 trade deadline. His switchability and length immediately improved the team's defense upon his arrival two years ago, helping propel L.A. to the Western Conference Finals, but injuries limited him to only 26 games last year. Unsurprisingly, the Lakers fielded a league-average defense and lost in the first round of the playoffs without him.

Jarred Vanderbilt is integral to the success of the Lakers, but where will he fit in when he returns to the court?

Rookie Dalton Knecht was extremely impressive in the preseason. His strong play vaulted him into the rotation and rendered Cam Reddish a DNP-Coach's decision in Game 1, and he looked comfortable in 16 minutes in his regular season debut. Knecht could be the yin to Vanderbilt's yang, an offensive threat off the bench that could keep the second unit flowing.

Backup big man Jaxson Hayes was also impressive when subbing in for Anthony Davis on Tuesday, finishing the game with 10 points and four rebounds in just 15 minutes. He and Knecht were the only frontcourt players other than Bronny to get any playing time, which makes it clear that Reddish and Maxwell Lewis are a clear tier below when it comes to forwards that Redick believes in.

Rui Hachimura started at the power forward spot, which should usually be the case as long as he's healthy. He played 35 minutes though, which is well above the 27 he averaged last year. Hachimura hasn't eclipsed 30 minutes a game since his first two seasons as a member of the Wizards, so while new head coaches can be unpredictable with the way they mete out minutes, it's very unlikely that Hachimura will come close to averaging 35 for the season.

The next week or two will be critical for these three aforementioned players, as they'll be auditioning not only what they can do on the court and in Redick's system, but why they deserve to keep their spots when Vando comes back.

If Redick is serious about sticking to a nine-man rotation this season, it may be Max Christie that sees his playing time cut, as he doesn't bring the same amount to the table as anyone we've mentioned. Christie played 11 uneventful minutes in the opener, missing all three shots he took from the field while racking up five fouls. Honestly though, Redick shouldn't be beholden to just playing nine guys. It's a long season, and he should use his deep bench to keep his veterans fresh for the eventual stretch run.

What will that look like in practical terms? Let's take our best guess. Hachimura will settle in around the 26 minute-per-game mark, a slight tick below last year's rate. This will open up minutes for Vanderbilt to play alongside Davis and LeBron, but it will also allow Redick to keep Knecht in double digits. The rookie is not afraid of the big stage and just needs some room to stretch his wings. With the state of this freshman class, don't be surprised if Knecht is in the mix for Rookie of the Year all season long.

Hayes shouldn't be impacted too much by Vanderbilt's return. The Lakers will want some size on the court when Davis is resting, and at an athletic 7-feet tall, Hayes gives them just that. Vanderbilt plays tougher and bigger than his 6-foot-8 frame, but L.A. was already a mediocre rebounding team when Davis sat last year. Having Vanderbilt be the tallest player out there is a recipe for rebounding disaster against the likes of Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic, Rudy Gobert and Zach Edey.

The most likely scenario is that Hachimura scales back and Vanderbilt and Knecht split time based on whether Redick wants a lineup that can outscore opponents or one that can shut them down. This will be game- and matchup specific and could easily be a "hot hand" situation.

Vanderbilt is going to see the floor, it's just a matter of how much and at who's expense. His injury recovery has been slow, but hopefully we get to find out soon.