The Los Angeles Lakers released an updated injury report for Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Jarred Vanderbilt (right finger dislocation) has been upgraded to available after originally being listed as questionable. Lakers head coach JJ Redick confirmed as such pregame.
This is a miraculous turnaround as Vanderbilt had a gruesome injury in Game 1 with a bone breaking through the skin after hitting his hand on the backboard on a block attempt.
Following that incident, it felt like Vanderbilt was not going to suit up the rest of the series against Oklahoma City. Redick revealed that the medical staff had to put Vanderbilt’s pinky finger back together and obviously, with the quick turnaround for these games, it felt like a long shot that he would be able to return this soon.
In a year where Redick has used the forward sparingly, L.A. needed Vanderbilt’s defensive services against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His agility and physicality would be two great qualities to deploy against the Thunder star, giving Marcus Smart a breather from being the main defender.
With Jake LaRavia not providing quality minutes this postseason, Redick decided to pivot to rookie Adou Thiero in Game 2. Los Angeles does not have many athletes on this roster and Thiero is one of them that could help fill Vanderbilt’s role off the bench.
Despite only playing six minutes in Game 2, he provided some rebounding and physicality. With Vanderbilt back in the fold though, he can provide more experience and IQ as opposed to their rookie forward.
Something worth monitoring, though, is how Oklahoma City decides to guard the 27-year-old and whether he provides more negative than positive for L.A. Vanderbilt isn’t known for his offense and the team is typically playing four-on-five on that end when he is in since teams willingly leave him open.
Regardless, the Thunder will find ways to force the Lakers to put him in scoring positions when he is on the floor. Hopefully, the Houston native possesses enough confidence to play through his injury scare and not be impacted by what transpired in Game 1.
With the Lakers in a dire situation down 2-0 to the defending champs, Redick could also choose to shorten his bench a bit in Game 3 on Saturday night.
JJ Redick discusses areas Lakers need to be better in
When discussing areas the Lakers need to be better in, Redick pointed to defensive rebounding and taking care of the ball, which were also big focuses in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
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