During the April 7 match between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, when the team was struggling as if they were oxygen-deprived, coach JJ Redick called a timeout just 15 seconds into the second quarter to take power forward Jarred Vanderbilt out of the game. Redick later revealed that he made this decision because "Rui [Hachimura] didn't do his job" and that he is looking for those nine players who are completely "all in." However, Vanderbilt was not happy with this decision - he argued with Redick and had to be pulled back.
“Just a confluence of things,” Redick told reporters in the post-game. “Nothing personal with him, normal stuff from my end... called a timeout to get him out of the game. And he reacted. But again, normal interaction for me.”
After the brutal loss against the Thunder (123-87), where the team's free-throw percentage (14-31) was quite poor, the Lakers showed a new side on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors. LeBron James led with 26 points and 11 assists, and Luke Kennard contributed with 14 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals, as Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic were injured.
Then, after a big 101-73 win against the Suns on Friday, Vanderbilt shared his side of the confrontation. He said that he and Redick had talked about it and had moved on.
"We talked about it, we moved on from it,” Vanderbilt said. “At this point in the season, we both realize this is the group we got. So it's definitely not a time for anybody to separate.”
Meanwhile, after the Warriors game, King James remained in the spotlight against the Suns: putting in all his effort for the team with 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists. Vanderbilt managed to score 6 points along with 7 rebounds.
In the upcoming game, the Los Angeles Lakers will try their best to destroy the Utah Jazz on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena. With this win, the Lakers (52-29) have secured the 4th seed in the Western Conference and home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.