Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt. Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Lakers receive tough injury news on top defender

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 2/2/24

Coming off their biggest win of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers are getting a bit of a damper.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Friday that Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to miss several weeks with a right mid-foot injury. Wojnarowski adds that further evaluation is also to come to determine if Vanderbilt will miss even more time.

Vanderbilt, 24, is one of the Lakers’ leading defenders along with Anthony Davis. He plays with energy and physicality and was a significant driving force behind the team’s stunning upset win over the Celtics in Boston on Thursday despite not having either Davis or LeBron James.

But Vanderbilt, who had already missed significant time to start the season with heel and back injuries, came up hobbling while going for the ball late in the second quarter. The non-contact nature of his injury was especially concerning, too.

Jarred Vanderbilt went back to the locker room after hurting his ankle pic.twitter.com/OqEvF5zmKI

— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) February 2, 2024

The 6-foot-8 Vanderbilt in the starting lineup was a major catalyst for the Lakers’ surprising Western Conference Finals berth last season.

But with Vanderbilt now out for several weeks or more, the Lakers take a big hit to their defense and rebounding. This news may also inform their decision-making ahead of next week’s trade deadline (as they already have some interesting reported plans there).

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: