For weeks, there had been a growing contingent of Lakers nation pushing for Jarred Vanderbilt to be back in the team’s starting lineup. He’d been a regular starter in last season’s playoff run — a team built on defense first — and a lot of smart fans wanted a return of Vanderbilt and that lineup.
That’s on pause now as Vanderbilt will be out weeks — and potentially longer — with a foot injury, a story broken by Dave McMenamin and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
ESPN Sources with @McTen: Lakers F Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to miss several weeks with a right foot injury. Further evaluation is expected to see if it’s an injury that might keep him out even longer. pic.twitter.com/80JzJnVIkl
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 2, 2024
Vanderbilt is listed as out for the Lakers on Saturday against the Knicks due to “right foot soreness.”
He has battled injuries all season, not even getting onto the court until Dec. 2 due to heel bursitis. While it took him time to get his rhythm back, of late he has been one of the few consistent players on the Lakers because of his defense.
The Lakers are 4.8 points per 100 possessions better on defense when Vanderbilt is on the court, which is why coach Darvin Ham has, at times, leaned on him to close games. The challenge has been on the other end of the court, where he is averaging 5.2 points per game and is shooting 29.6% from 3 — he is the guy teams have helped off of onto LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Still, that starting five Ham has been slow to lean into — D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Vanderbilt, LeBron, Davis — has a +39.6 net rating in limited minutes this season (via Cleaning the Glass).
If Vanderbilt is out for longer than a few weeks, it could change what the Lakers want to do as a team at the trade deadline. Not that elite defenders are easy to come by at any time.
