Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt won’t be playing anytime soon as he reportedly is having a slower ramp-up than expected and will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks.
The last significant update regarding Jarred Vanderbilt's recovery from foot surgery came in early November when JJ Redick said he was experiencing "normal discomfort" in his feet and was weeks away from returning.
After Wednesday's practice, JJ Redick mentioned the team would make an official statement soon.
While it wasn't directly from the Lakers, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports that Vanderbilt is ramping up slower than the franchise expected and will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks.
Jarred Vanderbilt’s ramp up after offseason foot procedures in May has gone slower than the Lakers anticipated, per the team. There have been no setbacks, however. He will be re-evaluated in a couple weeks, per the team.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 21, 2024
It's frustrating to hear that any return for Vanderbilt is still a couple of weeks away. Every few weeks, the timeline gets pushed a couple of weeks further out.
During training camp, Vanderbilt said he felt "great" but didn't participate in any preseason games and was only seen doing non-contact shooting drills.
Then, Redick said he was "progressing in a very positive direction" but would miss the season opener.
Now, nearly a month into the season, we are in the same exact spot, a couple of weeks away from the next evaluation.
Vanderbilt's impact is clear and it's why fans are desperate for his return. He's a dynamic, elite, wing defender who could guard the best perimeter players in the NBA.
With Vanderbilt on this team, he could fix many of the Lakers' defensive problems. Los Angeles is currently giving up 19.1 points in transition, the second-most in the NBA.
Vanderbilt hasn't yet played an official game under Redick. Still, at worst, it seems he could be one of the first players off the bench, providing defensive versatility, or, at best, he can be in the starting five, raising the defensive floor of the lineup.
Last season, Vanderbilt started six of the 29 games he played, averaging 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
It's hard to be optimistic with similar updates happening since training camp on Vanderbilt, but hopefully, in a couple of weeks, there will be some positive information about him. If not, the fear is that he is this season's player the media keeps asking about but never actually plays.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
