Report: Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready for training camp, preseason games

One of the biggest question marks heading into this Lakers season might just be the availability of Jarred Vanderbilt, who is still hampered by a foot injury.

While an important piece of the Lakers roster, Jarred Vanderbilt’s injury status has been a bit of a question mark, dating back nearly a year to last season’s training camp. While different things hampered him throughout the 2023-24 campaign, his season-ending foot injury ruled him out for the home stretch of the season.

The hope was that a summer of rehab would allow him to return healthy this fall. However, that may not be the case.

On a recent “Lakeshow” podcast episode, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet shared some potential skepticism about Vanderbilt's readiness for the start of the NBA season.

“Vando’s going to be interesting. I’m not sure he’ll be ready for training camp or even for preseason games...It’s a foot injury. He opted not to have a procedure in-season when he got hurt in February so we’ll see if he’s ready to go. I don’t have a lot of details on it. Regular season, different story. Hopefully, he’s ready by then, Allie, but nothing concrete on him yet.”

It should be noted that this reads a somewhat speculative report. The “I’m not sure...” and “I don’t have a lot of details...” parts of it don’t lead credence to this being ironclad reporting. Still, the statement, while speculative, is from someone who has been around the franchise for many, many years.

When Vanderbilt initially got hurt in a Feb. 1 victory against the Boston Celtics, the fear was that he would require surgery and that his season would be over.

Surgery did not happen, but neither did him playing again. He was inactive for most games and was a DNP in the Lakers' season-ending Game 5 defeat against the Denver Nuggets.

If he isn't ready for training camp or preseason action, fans should raise an eyebrow at how available he was or should've been for a playoff game five months ago.

Vanderbilt is one of those players you must watch play an entire game to understand his impact. His career averages of 6.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists don't do justice to his impact on the court. His defensive ability on the wing makes him the kind of player every NBA team desperately wants and needs.

The Lakers have him, but the best ability is availability and Vanderbilt not being ready would be a tough way to start the JJ Redick era in Los Angeles. Redick has expressed his enthusiasm in working with Vando, saying “he can’t wait to coach” the Lakers wing.

If Vanderbilt is not ready to start the season, the year will begin with a tinge of disappointment for the Lakers head coach and fans alike.

Vanderbilt has such a unique and specific skill set that there is no direct replacement for him, as the team found out last season.

Health comes first, so you can't rush him if he is not ready to go. The Lakers will have to do their best to monitor his health and ensure that whenever he comes back, he's good to go and here to stay.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.