Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent inch closer to Lakers returns after latest updates

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt and guard Gabe Vincent — both of whom are currently dealing with injuries — are seemingly trending in the right direction toward making a return to the court for the team.

Firstly, Vanderbilt — who hasn’t suited up for the Lakers since the team’s road win over the Boston Celtics back on Feb. 1 — is no longer donning a walking boot.

He left during the first half of Los Angeles’ matchup against the Celtics after suffering a foot injury. Vanderbilt impacted both sides of the ball before exiting the game, as he dropped 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals while shooting 3-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

Across 29 appearances and just six starts for the Lakers in the 2023-24 regular season, the 24-year-old is averaging 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game on 51.8 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from deep. He has built a reputation for being one of the better wing defenders in the league today.

Vincent has been sidelined for the Lakers for quite some time, considering he hasn’t played since Dec. 20 of last year, when Los Angeles lost to the Chicago Bulls by 16 points.

But according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Vincent is aiming to return to the lineup sometime in the month of March.

Vincent has logged just five games so far in his first season with the storied Lakers franchise and is averaging 5.4 points, 1.0 rebound and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 37.5 percent from the field.

But the Lakers have managed to string together victories in recent weeks without Vincent and Vanderbilt. Los Angeles has won seven of its past 10 games and picked up an impressive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder — who currently sit as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference at 42-19 — on Monday.

Once two important role players for the Lakers return to the lineup in Vanderbilt and Vincent, it should only help a Los Angeles team that has been clicking on all cylinders lately.