The Los Angeles Lakers can cling onto some promising news as the 2024-25 NBA regular season opener nears.
Lakers aiming for Jarred Vanderbilt to return from injury in season opener
The Lakers’ standout defender Jarred Vanderbilt is progressing in his recovery from a season-ending foot injury sustained last winter, and is expected to make his return to the court in their first game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22. Per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, (h/t CBS Sports’ RotoWire staff), Lakers head coach JJ Redick “said Saturday that Vanderbilt (foot) is progressing and in a “ramp up” stage in his recovery.”
Vanderbilt played in only 29 games last season due to the ailment. Los Angeles went 14-15 in those contests, but that came during their worst slump of the year as a collective. The Kentucky product last played on Feb. 1 in the Lakers’ 114-105 win over the Boston Celtics.
The Lakers will greatly need one of their best defenders & rebounders in 2024-25
There may be some rust for him to shake off, seeing that he is doubtful to play in L.A.’s remaining preseason slate. Albeit, the Lakers will desperately need his elite defense and rebounding next time out. The Texas native allows the Lakers to play small with him situated between superstar point forward LeBron James and superstar big man Anthony Davis. When the Lakers run a traditional two-big lineup, he can allow them to flex their incredible length while manning the small forward spot.
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Vanderbilt finished second only to Gabe Vincent (103.0) on the team in defensive rating with a peripheral of 109.4. His career 16.8 percent rebounding percentage will also go a long way for L.A., which for context, is just 0.2 percent less than Davis’, the latter of whom is widely regarded as one of the best glass cleaners in the Association. Having him healthy from the get-go, especially against a T-Wolves frontcourt of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Jaden McDaniels to kick things off will be a luxury for them to have next time around.
