HOUSTON — The Lakers are hoping to have a more formal update on Jarred Vanderbilt’s return-to-the-court status soon, but the one coach JJ Redick gave before his team’s loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday at Toyota Center was encouraging.
“He continues to progress and ramping up to on-court activities,” Redick said. “And hopefully we have a firm update on the timetable soon. But his progress is real right now.”
Vanderbilt, who hasn’t played this season after having surgery on his feet in May, participated in the non-contact parts of practice on Dec. 30.
He hasn’t played since suffering a sprained right midfoot injury in the Lakers’ Feb. 1 road win against the Boston Celtics.
There hasn’t been a firm timetable given for his return since the team said on Dec. 3 that his return was being targeted for early January.
The team released a medical update at the time, saying that Vanderbilt developed an effusion (swelling caused by fluid) in his left knee during his return-to-play process, altering the course of his progression.
“From the knee swelling, that has dissipated,” Redick said. “And right now, it’s just ramping up to be able to play and then recover and then play and then recover just like what an NBA season is versus any sort of setback he’s had in the last few weeks. He’s progressing along.”
Backup guard Gabe Vincent missed his fourth consecutive game on Sunday because of a strained left oblique.
Redick said Vincent is progressing and that it’s a “pain-tolerance issue”
Dorian Finney-Smith, who the Lakers acquired in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 29, had his first double-figure scoring game on Sunday, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting (two of six on 3-pointers) in 26 minutes.
“It was good,” the 31-year-old forward said. “They’re still telling me I’m turning [3s] down. I could have gotten up two more, but it’s fun out there. Get to play alongside these guys, giving me confidence. Having fun, seeing [LeBron James] shoot the ball off one leg…you know what I mean? It’s fun to be here to see it and not have to guard it.”
The Lakers’ next game as part of the two-game Texas trip will be against a team Finney-Smith is familiar with.
They’ll travel 240 miles northwest to play again on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks – the team Finney-Smith started his career with as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and spent 6 ½ seasons with before being traded to the Nets in February 2023.
Finney-Smith was part of the Mavericks team that made the 2022 Western Conference finals.
The Mavericks entered Monday losers in five of their last six games after Luka Dončić suffered a strained left calf in Dallas’ Dec. 25 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Just trying to get a win,” Finney-Smith said. “It’s gonna be electric. Every time we played the Lakers, it was electric in there, so it’s gonna be the same energy. [They’re] on a little losing streak, so they’re definitely licking their chops right now. So we better be ready.”
