EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — After nearly a year of rehab and recovery, Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt was medically cleared to make his season debut on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, barring any unforeseen setbacks, coach JJ Redick said Wednesday at practice.
“He’s medically cleared and available for Saturday,” Redick said.
“This whole process with him has been about the long term and we’re going to continue to be patient. Him and I and the medical (staff) will all speak on Saturday, and if he’s feeling good, he’ll be available — and that’s no guarantee that he will play. He will be available on Saturday, barring any setbacks.”
Vanderbilt suffered a right midfoot sprain in Boston on Feb. 1 that cost him the rest of the season and the first 41 games (and counting) of this season. He underwent procedures on both of his feet in May, having surgery on his right foot for the sprain and also removing a bone spur in his left foot.
Initially, the Lakers were optimistic Vanderbilt would be ready for opening night, with Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka suggesting as much in his season-opening news conference. But Vanderbilt’s return-to-play process stalled past that target and was eventually delayed in December when he experienced fluid in his left knee. Vanderbilt clarified that he never put a timeline on when he expected to return.
“I wouldn’t say it went on longer than I thought,” Vanderbilt said. “It was a collaboration … between me, the staff and everybody. To where I could feel comfortable, me personally, and also for them passing the eye test as well as the (physical recovery) measurements. So, it was a lot of different factors and variables that kind of played a part.”
Vanderbilt was a non-contact participant in Wednesday’s practice. He then participated in a stay-ready group after practice with a mix of younger players and assistant coaches, playing 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 with light contact.
“It feels good,” Vanderbilt said. “I mean, it’s been a long journey, tough process, but I’m excited just to be in the position I’m in right now. So yeah, I feel good.”
Vanderbilt is officially ruled out for Thursday’s game versus Boston. If he can return Saturday, he’ll be on a minutes restriction as the Lakers ease him back into the rotation, Redick said. The focus over the next few days is rebuilding Vanderbilt’s conditioning and stamina after such a long break.
“We’re not going to put him out there in any situation where he would get hurt,” Redick said. “And we don’t feel that’s the case right now. … We’re not going to overuse him.”
The addition of Vanderbilt is significant for the Lakers. Assuming he can return to form in a reasonable amount of time and doesn’t suffer another setback, he projects as the team’s best perimeter defender and second-best defender behind Davis. He’s long, quick and athletic, and plays with a motor that the rest of the group largely lacks — and sorely needs. He’s arguably Los Angeles’ best rebounder outside of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. He adds a dynamic that their other wings simply can’t.
“Going out there playing hard, playing tough, being physical, being aggressive, being vocal out there, whether it’s rebounding and defending, connective passing, whatever the case may be,” Vanderbilt said of his role. “Just going out there and doing my part and doing whatever I can do to help the team win.”
The primary concern with Vanderbilt is the offensive end where he struggles as a shooter. He’s a career 29.0 percent 3-point shooter who’s shot 30.3 percent or worse from deep in his season and a half as a Laker. Defenses often hide their worst defenders on him, ignoring him on and off the ball.
But Redick said he’s confident he can find effective ways to use Vanderbilt offensively. In six of the eight games before Vanderbilt’s injury last season, he scored in double figures as the Lakers used him as a cutter from the elbows and slot. Overall, he averaged 10.5 points (on 66 percent shooting), 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals over that span, playing his best offensive basketball as a Laker.
“I think he’ll be great just in terms of being a connector, in terms of our follows, our touches, all the stuff we’re trying to do against switching groups,” Redick said. “We’ll rev him up so he’s on the offensive glass. We want to, obviously, use our throw-aheads, throw-acrosses to play in transition. He’ll be great there. And then we’ll just be smart about how we space him and how we get to second actions with him.”
Vanderbilt signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension in September 2023 following the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference finals and his role as a starter and wing-stopper. The deal appeared reasonable at the time, but Vanderbilt has appeared in just 29 out of 129 games since then between the regular season, NBA Cup, Play-In tournament and playoffs.
He returns to a group that looks much different than it did when he last played. Redick has replaced Darvin Ham as head coach, Dorian Finney-Smith has replaced D’Angelo Russell within the rotation and Rui Hachimura and Max Christie have become starters and the team’s primary wings.
With the Lakers at 23-18 and No. 6 in the West at the midway point of the season, Vanderbilt said he’s positive they’ll round into form soon.
“We’re sixth in the West, battling all we went through this season and that’s still a great place midway through the season,” Vanderbilt said. “Once we start connecting on both ends for 48 minutes, the sky’s the limit for this team. I got full belief.”
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(Photo: Stephen Lew / USA Today)
