Report: Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready to play by Lakers training camp

Mike Bresnahan — a Los Angeles Lakers analyst for Spectrum SportsNet — claimed on a recent podcast episode that Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready for the start of training camp.

Vanderbilt has been dealing with a foot injury dating back to last season. He was limited to only 29 games during the 2023-24 regular season, and he averaged 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in his second season as a Laker.

The 25-year-old played his final game of the season in the Lakers’ victory over the Boston Celtics on Feb. 1. Los Angeles managed to win the game by nine points despite the fact that the team was sans Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Vanderbilt was a major contributor in the victory.

Offensively, he contributed 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Plus, he made his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball as well, considering he totaled three steals.

Vanderbilt may have been registered as a power forward for the Lakers last season, but he has the agility to guard players outside of his position, and Los Angeles could have used his defensive chops in its series against the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

In the best-of-seven series, the Lakers had no answers for Jamal Murray on the defensive end. The guard hit a pair of game-winners and also averaged 23.6 points and 7.2 assists per game.

As soon as Murray faced off against a team with great individual defenders in the Minnesota Timberwolves in the following round of the playoffs, he saw his production take a nosedive. He averaged 18.4 points and 4.4 assists per contest, and the Nuggets lost the series in seven games after the team lost the deciding Game 7 at home.

Overall, the Lakers greatly missed Vanderbilt’s presence — especially on defense — at times during the 2023-24 campaign, and if he can stay away from the injury bug in the 2024-25 season, that would be a major plus for Los Angeles.