Vanderbilt might have a big role in this series.
The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into the postseason without their two best offensive players.
With Luka Doncic out indefinitely due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain and Austin Reaves sidelined with a Grade 2 oblique injury, the basketball world has already written them off before Game 1 against Houston even tips off.
But inside the building at El Segundo, the energy tells a different story, and after Friday's practice it was forward Jarred Vanderbilt who put the group's mindset into words.
"This Is the Moments We Dream For"
"It's the playoffs. The stage is already set. The intensity is already high," Vanderbilt said. "This is the moments we dream for, we live for as a professional basketball player. So, to me the intensity never goes away. Obviously teams go on runs, they might punch you in the mouth but you got to be able to respond. The intensity should always be up, especially with this group of guys that we have and our end goal. I think the level is always high for us."
That is not the type of quote that comes from a player just trying to fill silence at a podium, and Vanderbilt has been around playoff basketball long enough to understand what it takes to compete when everything ramps up.
He averaged 5.0 points and 5.0 rebounds across 43 games while playing a mostly behind-the-scenes role, but with Doncic and Reaves on the shelf his minutes and defensive presence carry much more weight on a team that needs guys willing to do the dirty work in a seven-game series.
Why the Lakers Shouldn't Be Counted Out
The fourth-seeded Lakers finished the regular season 53-29 while the fifth-seeded Rockets went 52-30, so the gap between these two teams is small on paper.
Even without their top two scorers, the Lakers went 3-2 down the stretch to close the year and locked up home-court advantage for the first round, which says plenty about the depth of this roster when it matters most.
LeBron James stepped back into the lead role and averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games while looking especially sharp in the final week with 25.5 points on 56 percent shooting.
Marcus Smart is back from an ankle injury and set the tone earlier this week when he told reporters the Lakers would not be punked by anyone.
Between LeBron running the show, Smart and Vanderbilt locking in defensively, and Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard stepping into bigger offensive roles, the Lakers have enough pieces to make this a real series.
Houston has Kevin Durant and a top-five defense so nobody is saying this will be easy, but the Lakers have home court, a locker room full of veterans who have been through playoff wars, and a mindset that refuses to fold before the fight starts.
Game 1 tips off Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.