On a night where LeBron James and Anthony Davis are already out, the Los Angeles Lakers got some bad news against the Boston Celtics.

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt had to exit Thursday night's contest due to foot pain and will not return, according to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times:

“LAKERS STATUS UPDATE Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot soreness) will not return to tonight’s game.”

Notably, this is his right foot that is giving the Lakers' forward trouble, not the left heel bursitis that kept him in street clothes for the first 20 games of the season.

Vanderbilt aggravated his heel in the preseason opener vs. the Golden State Warriors. He missed the final five exhibition contests with what was deemed “soreness.”

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham repeatedly kept things vague when asked about Vando's recovery.

“Being that it’s this early in the season, there’s no need to rush the process,” Ham said about his rehab prior to the Lakers' home opener vs. the Phoenix Suns.

Vanderbilt — who signed a $48 million extension with the Lakers in September — was possibly the frontrunner to open the season as the starting 3 before his injury. Vanderbilt's shooting issues can clog the Lakers' spacing around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but he's easily their best and most versatile wing defender.

Vanderbilt was acquired before last season's trade deadline from the Utah Jazz. He instantly became an integral “Swiss Army knife” defender and energy booster for the team. In 26 regular season games for the Lakers (24 starts) last season, Vanderbilt averaged 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while often guarding the opponent's best player.