After experiencing fluid in his left knee during rehab, Jarred Vanderbilt’s return to the Lakers has been delayed even further into 2025.
After taking place largely in the background, an update on Jarred Vanderbilt’s rehab took center stage on Tuesday.
Following recent reports that Vando’s rehab was taking longer than expected, we received details on what exactly that meant. As Dave McMenamin and Sham Charania of ESPN first reported, Vando has experienced fluid in his knee during rehab, further pushing back his return date into 2025.
Per the Lakers: During the course of his return-to-play progression, Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt developed an effusion in his left knee. This development altered the course of his progression, and the team is currently targeting early January for his return to NBA.
— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) December 3, 2024
Shortly after the initial report, the Lakers themselves confirmed the report by releasing the following statement on Vanderbilt:
During the course of his return-to-play progression, Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt developed an effusion in his left knee. This development altered the course of his progression, and the team is currently targeting early January for his return to NBA games.
This injury saga began for Vando back in February when he left a game against the Celtics due to a foot injury.
He never played another game for the Lakers for the rest of the season and during the summer, he had surgeries on each foot. However, he said he felt “great” entering training camp.
Still, he has yet to even take part in a practice this season, let alone a game.
Back in November, the Lakers stated he had “normal discomfort” in his knee and said it wasn’t a setback and another update would be made in a couple of weeks. As promised, the following update was on Nov. 20, when the team stated that his recovery was going slower than expected and that he would be re-evaluated in a few weeks.
He has now missed the first quarter of the regular season and will miss at least a dozen or so games if he returns by the new expected date of early January.
This recent injury news while negative, at least ends the “a few weeks away from being a few weeks away” timeline and gives us clarity on when to expect a significant Vando update and potential return.
With Vanderbilt out, the Lakers’ defense has struggled against the best offensive players in the NBA. When he was available, Vando proved to be an elite perimeter defender and often took on those defensive assignments.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
