Jarred Vanderbilt’s dislocation of his right pinky finger is so gruesome we’re not going to show any video of the injury here, we’ll let the reaction of the Thunder bench sum it up.
The Thunder's reaction to Jarred Vanderbilt's hand injury 🤕 pic.twitter.com/k9qHwGXyh7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 6, 2026
After the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick confirmed it is a full dislocation and called it a “freak injury.” As noted by Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes, a standard dislocation of the pinky doesn’t result in lost time, but this was not standard. According to Jaxson Hayes, “his whole bone was out of his skin,” and in that case, Vanderbilt is expected to miss time.
“They were able to put his finger back together. He’s splinted and he’s day to day,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said Wednesday.
The injury occurred in the first half when Vanderbilt leapt to attempt to block an alley-oop for Chet Holmgren, and his right pinky hit the backboard as swung to block the ball. He instantly went to the ground in great pain.
Vanderbilt is one of the Lakers’ best perimeter defenders, a 6'8" wing who can guard multiple positions, and he will be missed in a series against the deep Thunder. Against Houston in the first round, Vanderbilt averaged 13.4 minutes a game, giving the team 3.6 points and 4.4 rebounds, but he was benched for much of Game 6. Because he is not much of an offensive threat, it becomes hard for Redick to keep him on the court in some situations.
