Denver Nuggets: You Remind Me featuring Jarred Vanderbilt
Denver Nuggets rookie Jarred Vanderbilt is an intriguing prospect, but have we seen him before? He certainly has the looks of a current NBA player.
Jarred Vanderbilt played for the Kentucky Wildcats during his lone freshman season, averaging 5.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 17.0 minutes per contest. Vanderbilt has a history of ankle injuries that limited in him in high school and it followed him to college.
In college, he only played 14 games in college due to another ankle injury he suffered. Despite his injury history, Vanderbilt was selected with the 41st overall pick by the Orlando Magic that was subsequently traded to the Denver Nuggets.
Vanderbilt starred in high school, which led him to be given the honor of being selected as a McDonald’s All-American. This 6’9″ forward’s best attribute is his ability to rebound. He pulled down 25 percent of all available rebounds during his short career at Kentucky. He also handles the ball extremely well and sees the floor like a guard. His stats may not show it but Vanderbilt makes the game easier for his fellow teammates by making the easy pass so that they can score.
Jarred Vanderbilt’s game resembles Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Like Jefferson, Vanderbilt is capable of guarding multiple positions. His 7’1″ wingspan allows him to challenge shots at an effective rate. The rookie forward can close out on his opponents quickly, making sure that each shot attempt is difficult. Vanderbilt is listed at 219 pounds but appears to already have an NBA body.
Not too many players come in the league with an NBA-ready body so that’s one thing the Nuggets won’t have to worry about. Offensively, Vanderbilt can score with his back to the basket as he has shown that he has a hook shot in his offensive repertoire. The rookie forward also uses his length to grab offensive rebounds, which gave the Wildcats many put-back opportunities. His activity around the rim is something that can not be ignored because of the way he grabs boards with reckless abandon.
Defensively, Vanderbilt moves his feet well and can stay in front of guards should he be switched onto them. Should he get beat initially off the dribble, his length can be his saving grace as he can challenge the shot. The former Wildcat can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time which allows him to be an elite rim protector. On the perimeter, he can rush out to the opponent and block their shot while leading the offense in transition with his keen point forward abilities.
As I noted previously, one of the questions about this player is can he stay healthy? Vanderbilt hasn’t shown that he can stay healthy enough to contribute to his team. Add in that he had multiple ankle injuries in high school and college it remains to be seen if he can fight through an injury should the team need him. Another thing that scouts are questioning is his toughness. Some scouts view his ankle injuries as minor and Vanderbilt refused to play through them to help his former squad.
For this Nuggets squad, I believe he can succeed should he leave his injury problems in the past. Along with Nikola Jokic, Vanderbilt could help run the offense when he is on the court. The Nuggets have many possibilities when it comes to their rotation as they can run a big lineup with Porter, Vanderbilt and Jokic in the frontcourt
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Jarred Vanderbilt’s abilities mesh well with an already talented Denver Nuggets team. Look for the rookie forward to become a decent rotation player in the near future.