Thursday night marked the first victory of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they defeated the Phoenix Suns. Kevin Durant scored 39 points to lead Phoenix, and while it’s hard to stop a scorer of Durant’s quality, it’s safe to assume that Phoenix’s head coach Darvin Ham would have appreciated having Jarred Vanderbilt to throw at him.

Vanderbilt is still sidelined with left heel bursitis despite being the Lakers’ greatest perimeter defender and one of the league’s finest overall. Ham thinks the Lakers will not rush him back from what initially seemed like a minor ailment but has now persisted into the regular season.

“Obviously he is out tonight,” Ham said of Vanderbilt before the Lakers’ victory. We haven’t completed our analysis yet, but rest assured that every i and t will be dotted and every t will be crossed. Since it is still early in the season, there is no hurry. We promise to keep you informed.

It’s best to wait until Vanderbilt is 100 percent healthy before putting him back on the court so early in the season. With the new announcement that Vanderbilt will be re-evaluated in two weeks with that bursitis, it appears that time will not be in the near future for the Lakers.

But when he does come back, Ham is eager to put Vanderbilt back on the court because he knows exactly what he can do for the Lakers.

It’s obvious that [Vando] can guard numerous locations, like a Swiss army knife,” Ham said. When teams try to play off of him, he will be able to take advantage of his improved jump shot and put the ball in the basket. Also, he’s the Energizer Bunny of the human race. Instead of opting out of tough matchups, he takes off plays.

With Vanderbilt out, the Lakers have no choice but to start Taurean Prince at small forward. Despite their differences, Ham sees some similarities between the two athletes.

Contrast this with Taurean, “a genuine, proven shooter and scorer, who plays with a lot of tenacity, also able to guard multiple positions,” as Ham put it. “Vando is maybe a hair taller and more of an energizer bunny, and he puts a lot of work on the offensive glass, but TP does, too. They share many similarities, yet their games are plainly constructed differently.

For the time being at least, it appears that Vanderbilt will find playing time for Ham once he is well enough to return. Once he’s fit, it might be difficult to keep him off the court as he is the team’s best perimeter defender and has been working hard on his jump shot.

Jarred Vanderbilt, a player with the Los Angeles Lakers, talks about his offseason training.

Vanderbilt has spent the offseason working hard to address his weaknesses. The Lakers forward has spent the summer honing his shot and improving his agility.

To improve my shooting, I practiced a lot. Things include finishing, ball handling, and general polishing. In addition to improving defensively, in terms of strength, speed, and agility. Every summer I work to improve my skills in all areas of the game.

If Vanderbilt can improve his shooting accuracy from three-point range, he will be the perfect complement to the Lakers’ starting lineup.