Los Angeles Lakers forward Christian Wood. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Latest injury updates crush Lakers' chances of playoff success

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 3/19/24

The Los Angeles Lakers are ninth in the Western Conference. They've struggled for consistency all season, as their inability to control the defensive glass and develop an identity has ensured Darvin Ham's roster has hovered around the play-in tournament all season.

In fairness, the Lakers have also dealt with their fair share of injury issues.

Unfortunately for Lakers fans, some of those injuries look primed to derail the team's postseason before it even gets underway. According to CBS Sports' Bill Reiter, Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are unlikely to return to the rotation this season.

Sources tell @CBSSports that Los Angeles Lakers players Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent will miss the rest of the season. While Vanderbilt still could return, sources say, the expectation is that will not happen. @espn first reported the news on Wood.
— Bill Reiter (@sportsreiter) March 19, 2024

The Lakers have navigated injuries all season long, however, the notion that Vincent, Wood and Vanderbilt would return before the playoffs gave the fanbase some hope. None of those players are stars, but they're all capable role players who could make a difference in a seven-game series.

Losing three potential contributors is a tough blow. The Lakers will be shorthanded throughout the postseason, and given their aging roster, any additional mileage on LeBron James and Anthony Davis could become problematic.

As such, Ham will need to get creative with his rotations if he wants his team to avoid burnout during the early stages.

Still, the Lakers have been dealing with absent role players all season, so they're used to being shorthanded. They will likely hope their available talent is good enough to mount another charge toward the Western Conference Finals.

Otherwise, the roster could look significantly different next season.

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