Since winning the 2020 NBA Championship, the Los Angeles Lakers have dealt with a litany of injuries that have derailed several promising seasons.
The Lakers have done their best to protect their stars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and while the two have been able to stay mostly healthy during the 2023-24 season, the rest of the supporting cast has been in and out of the lineup.
Gabe Vincent has missed most of the regular season due to a knee injury, while Jarred Vanderbilt has been sidelined for over a month because of a mid-foot sprain. Cam Reddish has also been in and out of the lineup with an ankle issue, while Christian Wood has been hindered by a knee issue.
Before the game against the Atlanta Hawks, head coach Darvin Ham said Vanderbilt and Vincent are progressing as scheduled from their respective injuries, while Reddish should be back soon.
“Yeah, he’s coming along as according to plan,” Ham said. “Gabe is coming along according to plan. We should be getting Cam back pretty soon here. As we start to get those guys back and what they bring to our basketball team, just the intangibles. People talk about making shots and obviously you have to get stops, but those guys’ ability to get us extra possessions, whether it’s steals, deflections that turn into turnovers, their ability to get offensive rebounds and secure defensive rebounds is much-needed. So that will be a welcomed addition to get those guys healthy.”
Vincent’s return could be in the next week or so as the final step is for him to regain his conditioning. As for Vanderbilt, there was some initial concern that he would be forced to miss the remainder of the season but is reportedly trending upward toward a return.
Getting back Vincent and Vanderbilt would be great for the Lakers’ postseason push, but the team’s inconsistency still makes it hard to fully trust them when the time comes. However, hopefully the team receives good news on the two and can get them back in the rotation. Vincent, in particular, could be nearing a return according to NBA insider Marc Stein:
Lakers G Gabe Vincent is nearing a return and intends to play again this season barring any setbacks, league sources tell @TheSteinLine.
Vincent has played in just 5 games as a Laker and underwent arthroscopic surgery (left knee) in late December.
More: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 19, 2024
With the way Ham spoke, it does also seem like the Lakers could get Reddish back as soon as Friday to add some much-needed wing defense. With Vincent and Vanderbilt though, it remains to be seen just how soon they will return to the lineup.
LeBron James details impact of Lakers losing Anthony Davis
Davis has been able to play the bulk of the regular season, though he’s dealt with some nagging injuries here and there. In the team’s most recent loss to the Golden State Warriors, Davis took an elbow to the eye that forced him out of the game.
Los Angeles would go on to lose the game and James later explained the impact of Davis’ loss.
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