Lakers receive awful injury news on top defender.
The Los Angeles Lakers are feeling a little down after their biggest win of the season.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Friday that Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is anticipated to miss several weeks due to a right mid-foot ailment. Wojnarowski adds that further evaluation is needed to see whether Vanderbilt will lose any additional time.
Vanderbilt, 24, is one of the Lakers’ top defenders, alongside Anthony Davis.
He plays with enthusiasm and physicality, and he was a major driving factor in the team’s surprising upset victory over the Celtics in Boston on Thursday (despite the absence of Davis and James).
However, Vanderbilt, who had previously lost significant time this season due to heel and back problems, came up hobbling late in the second quarter. His injury was also non-contact, which was very worrying.
The 6-foot-8 Vanderbilt in the starting lineup was a big contributor to the Lakers’ unexpected Western Conference Finals appearance last season.
However, with Vanderbilt out for several weeks or more, the Lakers’ defense and rebounding have suffered significantly.
This information may also influence their decision-making ahead of next week’s trade deadline (they already have some intriguing reported plans there).
