One conversation with John Calipari sparked long-term role in NBA for Jarred Vanderbilt

Jarred Vanderbilt was seen as the next Lamar Odom or Penny Hardaway out of high school, a top-20 recruit known for his playmaking and facilitating at 6-9. Where he fell short as an outside shooter, he made up for it with flashy handles and crafty finishes around the basket — a true point forward.

And his goal was to do the same on college basketball’s biggest and brightest stage at the University of Kentucky. Like all five-star recruits, his plan was to do what he did best, take care of business and then move on to the NBA after a one-and-done season in Lexington as a potential lottery pick. But his body had other plans.

Brutal injury luck

“Coming to college, you’re obviously ready to play, and then one of our first practices I popped my foot. Second practice. I’m sick,” Vanderbilt said on Tidal League’s Run Your Race Podcast.

He had previously been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot in June 2016, followed by another left foot injury to open his senior season in high school. And then a non-contact right leg injury during the Jordan Brand Classic in 2017, just one week before signing with the Wildcats. Return to basketball activities on campus in Lexington, only to go down again.

Out two and a half months to open the season, Vanderbilt missed the team’s first 17 games before returning to action at South Carolina on Jan. 16, 2018.

“It’s tough dealing with injuries, especially at that age. Now you can accept them a little bit better, but when you’re that young, mentally, it’s hard,” Vanderbilt said. “I was out for the first, like, 20 games. I missed the combine (Pro Day), then the first 20 games. Didn’t let it derail me, but it was an adversity. … It was tough, definitely a tough time.”

Finding a niche

The Jarred Vanderbilt fans saw in high school wasn’t the same Jarred Vanderbilt we saw that night in Columbia. He finished with six points, five rebounds and three assists in a loss, but the 6-9 forward was all over the floor, fighting and defending while looking to be a terror on the glass. There were glimpses of the playmaking, but his biggest impact came as a do-it-all plug-and-play piece.

And that was intentional.

“I kind of just fit right in,” Vanderbilt said. “I had talked to Cal that week, he was like, ‘We know you don’t know any plays.’ And it’s hard to just integrate somebody into the lineup 20 games in. He said, ‘The thing we need right now, the thing you can help us with is toughness, being a dog. Defending and rebounding. We know you don’t know a lot of plays, but that’s what is going to get you on the court. That’s what we need.’

“That’s where my defensive (mindset) started, that’s how I got on the court and stayed on the court. It never left me after that point.”

Embracing a new role

Fast forward six years and Vanderbilt is now just days removed from signing a lucrative four-year, $48 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers — fully guaranteed. That came after averaging a career-high 7.9 rebounds to go with 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 2022-23.

He’s not the Lakers’ top scorer or most dynamic offensive threat. They brought him back on a high-dollar deal because he’s a valued defensive piece, willing to guard the opposing team’s best player every time down the floor. It’s the effort on the glass, diving for loose balls, making the winning plays. The same thing Calipari asked him to do leading up to his return to game action post-injury is what got him paid.

“I came in as this point forward, going to bring the ball down, stuff like that. It didn’t happen because of adversity, injuries, all that s***,” Vanderbilt said of his time at Kentucky. “Me being able to adjust is the reason I’m still around. You just have to adjust and adapt.”

Most players in the NBA were 20-plus point-per-game scorers at one point or another, high school or college. Plenty of All-American talents capable of getting buckets at the highest level. But if you’re one of many, you’re replaceable.

Vanderbilt averaged 28.5 points, 13.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per contest as a senior in high school. But that’s not the player he is in the NBA. He found his niche and he stuck.

“That’s what it’s about, being a pro. A lot of dudes are hella talented, but they couldn’t adapt to that role,” the former Wildcat said. “You come from being a McDonald’s All-American, averaging 20 or 30 points. Now you’re confined to a role or a niche. But if you find that, you’re going to last long in the league, man.”

Four seasons in, he’s entering the final year of a three-year, $13.1 million contract with a base salary of $4.6 million. Then his new four-year, $48 million contract kicks in starting in 2024-25, keeping him in Los Angeles through 2028.

That one conversation with Coach Cal was the start of all of it.