Key Lakers Forward May Miss Camp, Preseason with Lingering Injury

Ricardo Sandoval | Sep 8, 2024

Dec 25, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) and forward Rui Hachimura (28) play for the rebound against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are less than two months away from the start of the 2024-25 season. While there is much excitement as we approach the new season, the Lakers could already be behind the right ball when it comes to health. 

The Lakers suffered significant injuries last season, and this season could be no different. Lakers defensive-minded forward Jarred Vanderbilt could miss some time to start training camp and preseason games as he is dealing with ongoing foot issues. 

Lakers insider Mike Bresnahan shared via the Lakeshow podcast. 

"I'm not sure he'll be ready for training camp or even for the preseason games," said Spectrum SportsNet's Mike Bresnahan on the "Lakeshow" podcast. "He opted not to have a procedure in-season when he got hurt in February. So we'll see if he's ready to go. I don't have a lot of details about it, but I'm not sure he'll be ready for training camp. The regular season is a different story. Hopefully, he's ready by then. But nothing concrete on him yet."

Vanderbilt played in only 29 games last season, with six starts. He entered last season with a heel issue in training camp that never really went away. On Feb 1, he suffered a foot injury against the Boston Celtics, which kept him out for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. 

Things were supposed to be different for the Lakers and Vanderbilt this season. Lakers first-year head coach JJ Redick laid out a plan for Vanderbilt, saying that he expects big things from the 25-year-old. 

"I have. I think the unique thing about Jarred, and a number of really good teams that made deep playoff runs have guys like him, that are energy, defense, ball hawks. He can sort of … I call them energy shifters. He can change the energy of an entire game, and he doesn't have to do it with scoring, which makes him really unique. I can't wait to coach him. Obviously he has some rehab to do for the rest of the summer, but when he's healthy, he's going to be a big part of what we do."

When Vanderbilt is healthy, he is among the better wing and perimeter defenders in the league. He brings a different dynamic to the defense, especially alongside superstar Anthony Davis. 

Vanderbilt could be the team's x-factor, and without him, L.A. may not be able to reach its goals this season. 

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