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Vanderbilt is also imprinting his all-out style on the rest of the team. Lakers coach Darvin Ham calls him the team’s “Energizer Bunny.” Austin Reaves says he’s “the best defender in the NBA.” D’Angelo Russell, reunited with Vanderbilt after the two were teammates in Minnesota from 2020 to 2022, goes one step further. “Vando’s making all these Dennis Rodman plays for us,” he says. For Vanderbilt, playing hard is a skill honed like any other. “There’s a lot that goes into it,” Vanderbilt told The Athletic. “It’s energy, but it’s being smart with it too. Like, I know who I can pick up. I know when to back up. I know, just reading the scouting report, when I can shoot the gaps and try to go for a steal. Going certain directions on whoever the player is. So it’s a lot of film and studying that goes into it as well.” -via The Athletic / April 11, 2023
