The Lakers had many injuries last year and while some players might not be ready to start training camp, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish and Jalen Hood-Schifino seem good to go.
With training camp nearing, we are beginning to get injury updates on Lakers players.
The franchise announced that Christian Wood underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks. We also have reports indicating Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready for training camp.
Both updates are negative, but fans finally got a morsel of positivity thanks to ESPN's Dave McMenamin reporting that Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish and Jalen Hood-Schifino are expected to be ready at the start of training camp.
“While Wood underwent surgery last week and Vanderbilt’s foot is still not 100%, sources confirmed to ESPN, Vincent, Reddish and Hood-Schifino will be ready to compete for minutes from the start — giving Redick more options.”
Health was one of many contributing factors to the Lakers' underperformance last regular season. Having key rotation players like Vincent and Reddish ready from the start is ideal.
Last year, Vincent only played 11 games with the Lakers due to a left knee injury that required surgery during the season. He didn't look great in those games, averaging 3.1 points and shooting a woeful 10% from 3-point range. However, eleven games stretched across an entire season is a sample size that needs to get thrown away.
With Vincent healthy and a new coach in JJ Redick, his play and role on the Lakers can now be optimized and realized.
Similar to Vincent, Reddish dealt with injuries that limited his play.
A left ankle injury forced him to miss 13 consecutive games starting in late January. Upon returning, he played in a handful of contests and was then placed back on the injury report. The injury lingered with Reddish the rest of the season.
Reddish showed glimpses of being a quality backup guard for the Lakers, so Redick having him from the start gives him the best chance to become the best version of himself for Los Angeles.
Jalen Hood-Schifino was never going to be a huge part of the Lakers' plans last year. Injuries cut his season short as he underwent lumbar microdiscectomy back surgery in March, ending his rookie campaign.
Hood-Schifino has had back injuries before. He dealt with them in high school and college, so hopefully, his surgery and readiness for training camp mean the woes are behind him.
This trio being ready helps Redick get training camp started with more tools in his toolbox. It gives him more guard options and the ability to tinker with the backcourt and optimize the depth chart.
Yes, Vanderbilt and Wood being available would be ideal, but let's take this as the glass half full.
A young prospect can develop, a potential starter will be ready and a bench mob player will be healthy to start preseason action. Fingers crossed, we get more positive injury updates as preseason action nears.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
