At long last, after being out for nearly a full calendar year, Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is reportedly set to make his season debut this Saturday against the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles Lakers F Jarred Vanderbilt has been medically cleared to make his season debut on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors on ABC, barring any unforeseen setbacks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/FXP9eP4PhC
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 22, 2025
He told the media that he’s feeling good and that he’s trying to return to his pre-injury self.
I asked Jarred Vanderbilt about the mental challenges he’s faced with returning to the court: “I feel good just being able to get out there and run and play basketball and feel healthy… and trying to get back to how I was prior to the injury. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/qbL167k25f
— LoJo Media (@LoJoMedia) January 22, 2025
Vanderbilt suffered a foot injury on Feb. 1, 2024, in a road victory over the Boston Celtics. The ailment kept him out for the rest of the season, and he ended up undergoing offseason surgery, which pushed back his return date this season.
But any hope that he could return relatively early this season was extinguished when it was reported in early December that he had experienced fluid in his left knee. As a result, he started targeting early January for his return.
Early January came and went, but he did get cleared for full-court activities with contact and got some practice time in with the Lakers’ G League affiliate.
Two things the 23-18 Lakers have lacked are perimeter defense and overall energy. They’re things Vanderbilt can supply them with, just as he did when he originally arrived in a February 2023 trade. He played a key role in Los Angeles getting hot after the All-Star break and reaching the Western Conference Finals that year.
Since coming to the Lakers, he has averaged 6.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 21.9 minutes a game. He has the ability to guard players at three or four different positions, as well as help out on the boards and be a finisher in transition.
The team, of course, has been the subject of plenty of trade rumors. It is generally believed it wants to acquire a facilitating point guard and a reserve big man from the trade market, and it has reportedly been interested in centers such as Walker Kessler and Jonas Valanciunas.
Another name to watch is Bruce Brown, a guard who has long been on the Lakers’ radar. If the Toronto Raptors buy him out following the trade deadline, another possibility, according to Jake Fischer, could be the Lakers signing him off the buyout market, although the Denver Nuggets are also a candidate to do the same.
