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After undergoing further testing, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that Jarred Vanderbilt was diagnosed with a sprain in the middle of his right foot and will be re-evaluated by doctors in three to four weeks.
Vanderbilt exited the Lakers' win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday at TD Garden shortly before halftime. While pushing the ball up-court — a skill the Lakers will miss — he suddenly went down in pain.
All things considered, it's an encouraging update for Vanderbilt after initial reports indicated season-ending surgery was possible. That route will reportedly be tabled after opinions from other medical experts.
That said, the lack of clarity could complicate the Lakers' approach before Thursday's trade deadline. The Lakers are short on point-of-attack defenders beyond Vanderbilt. On Monday, Darvin Ham expressed cautious optimism about the forward's prospects of returning.
“Well, honestly we took a big hit with Vando last game,” LeBron replied to a question about the Lakers' ability to reach their potential. “Our team has always been constructed around how healthy we can be and how much chemistry we can put on the floor. So, obviously, that's a big-time blow for us.”
Vanderbilt missed training camp and the first 21 games of the 2023-24 regular season due to soreness in his left heel. After an up-and-down couple of months, Vanderbilt had been the talk of the team over the last two weeks; consistently earning postgame plaudits for his defensive impact and overall energy.
D'Angelo Russell interrupted Austin Reaves to give Jarred Vanderbilt his flowers. "When y'all tweet make sure y'all give Vando some love, he played his ass off."
Austin: "He should be in here instead of me … I said I'd come sit in here and listen to DLo talk." pic.twitter.com/OSSB5x93Xz
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) January 26, 2024
Over his last eight games, Vando averaged 10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.3 steals on 66% shooting He owns the best net rating on the Lakers among rotation players.
