The Los Angeles Lakers don't have to look far for some inside info about their Play-in Tournament opponent Minnesota Timberwolves. After all, they have some former Timberwolves players on the team, including forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who came to Purple and Gold nation from the Utah Jazz via a three-team trade last February.

Jarred Vanderbilt, who played three seasons (140 games total) with the Timberwolves from the 2019-20 season to the 2021-22 campaign, is already sharing helpful insights with the Lakers about his former team.

“I know those guys personally and their tendencies,” Jarred Vanderbilt said while speaking to reporters during a Lakers practice. “I’m helping these guys with scouting, figuring out their game plan and how they operate. It’s much easier, especially since I got a couple of guys with me that have also been in that system and played with those guys.”

Jarred Vanderbilt has given the Lakers a tremendous boost and is a key reason why the team has looked so much better in the second half of the season than in the early goings of the 2022-23 campaign. Over the last 10 Lakers games in the regular season, Jarred Vanderbilt mustered averages of 6.6 points on 53.1 percent shooting from the field and 46.2 percent from behind the arc and 5.7 rebounds per game. He's not someone the Lakers would consider as a primary offensive option, but he stretches the floor and provides an effective and versatile presence on the defensive end of the floor.

The Lakers are scheduled to face the Timberwolves in the Play-in Tournament this Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.