When the Los Angeles Lakers take the floor on Saturday evening against the Golden State Warriors, it will be the first time in nearly one full year that they’ll do so with Jarred Vanderbilt active. Vanderbilt has not played since Feb. 1, 2024 after dealing with injuries in both feet and then some knee inflammation.
This long-term absence has deeply impacted the Lakers. Without their best perimeter defender, L.A. felt unable to fully evaluate their roster, and it led to the team standing pat both at the last trade deadline and in the offseason. They have also been unable to be at their best on the court, as their defense suffered mightily without Vanderbilt in the lineup.
But now, Vanderbilt can ease his way back into a full-time role in the Lakers defense and given the franchise a sense of what they might actually look like when the postseason comes around. Vanderbilt, for one, is excited about the prospect of returning after such a long time away, according to Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group:
“It feels good,” Vanderbilt said after Wednesday’s practice. “I mean, it’s been a long journey, [a] tough process, but I’m excited just to be in the position I’m in right now.”
Vanderbilt knew when he started his second extended absence that he might be out for a significant length of time, given that it became a surgical procedure instead of just rehab. And he was frustrated given the way he was playing in the games prior:
“It was tough,” Vanderbilt said when asked whether he had an idea he would be sidelined for nearly a calendar year. “I feel like I just found my rhythm at that time and [was] playing some of my best basketball. So it was tough at the time. Obviously, we elected to not go the route of getting it repaired. And then I did. So once you factor those in, then I kind of realized the timetable that it would kind of be so.”
Fans certainly became frustrated by the lack of updates surrounding Vanderbilt and how the timetable for his return kept getting pushed back. But from his perspective, there was never a true timetable:
“I wouldn’t say it was hiccups, it was just part of the process,” Vanderbilt said. “We had a plan in place and it wasn’t more timetable-based, it was more so about measurement-based. Like, what can I do if I pass this and we kind of keep progressing. So honestly, I wouldn’t say it was a hiccup. It wasn’t really as much of a timetable. It was just what I could do and keep advancing and progressing.”
Regardless of the difficulties in the last year for both Vanderbilt and the fans who wanted to see him healthy, the Lakers can now move forward with their defensive-minded guard in the lineup and hope that, by April, he can be at full strength to help the team win postseason games.
It all begins on Saturday night with a tough task in Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
JJ Redick assesses Lakers at midway point
The Lakers officially reached their halfway point of the season and are in the playoff mix in the Western Conference in head coach JJ Redick’s first season at the helm.
There have been some good moments and some rough times so far this year that Redick has had to navigate. In assessing where his team stands, the coach admits they are still looking for more consistency but feels good with where the Lakers are at overall.
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