So far we’re not off to a great start, but I think Vando’s absence is really underrated. Just looking at some stats on NBA.com, Lakers are:
20th in steals per game
23rd in deflections per game
29th in opponent second chance points per game
29th in Offensive Rebounds grabbed per game
29th in 3PT%
The way I see it Vando will help immensely by grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds, which he’s a beast at, and by getting steals/deflections with his energy on D.
Also, he can’t hurt our 3 Pt shooting much because we’re already at the bottom of the league in it.
Hopefully that heel heals (haha) and we can get him back in the starting 5 to clean up these issues!
Defense is a collective effort. He definitely helps but this is on the team as a whole to improve.