Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick provided a positive update on forward Jarred Vanderbilt as he continues to work himself towards his season debut with Los Angeles.
“He continues to progress and ramping up to on-court activities,” Redick said. “And hopefully we have a firm update on the timetable soon. But his progress is real right now.”
Vanderbilt had surgery in May on his feet and has yet to play in a game for the Lakers since the 2023-24 season. In fact, Vanderbilt last played on Feb. 1 of last year against the Boston Celtics.
One of the better defenders on the Lakers roster, Vanderbilt would provide the team with another option at the forward spot if he’s able to return this season.
The Lakers acquired Vanderbilt in a trade in the 2022-23 season, and he was a key piece for them on their run to the Western Conference Finals.
Since then, injuries have derailed Vanderbilt’s Lakers tenure. Last season, he appeared in less than half of the Lakers’ games. Vanderbilt started 24 of the 26 games that he played in for the Lakers in the 2022-23 regular season, but he ended up starting just six of the 29 games he played in during the 2023-24 season.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Vanderbilt averaged 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from 3 in 20.0 minutes per game.
The Lakers improved their wing depth recently by acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, but they’d certainly love to have Vanderbilt as an option in the rotation as well.
Vanderbilt is in the first season of a four-year, $48 million deal that he signed with the Lakers. The contract runs through the 2027-28 season, although Vanderbilt has a player option on the deal for that season. If he chose to decline that, he would be an unrestricted free agent following the 2026-27 campaign.
The Lakers currently hold the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with a 20-15 record. Los Angeles has played well as of late, winning seven of its last 10 games, although it did lose to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
Hopefully, Vanderbilt will continue to progress towards a return to game action in the coming weeks.
