After achieving their greatest victory of the year, the Los Angeles Lakers are experiencing some setbacks.
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to miss several weeks due to a right mid-foot injury, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Friday. Wojnarowski continues, “More analysis will be conducted to ascertain whether Vanderbilt will be missing even more time.”
Along with Anthony Davis, Vanderbilt, 24, is one of the Lakers’ best defenders. Despite not having LeBron James or Davis, he plays with intensity and physicality, which contributed significantly to the team’s incredible upset victory over the Celtics in Boston on Thursday.
However, late in the second quarter, Vanderbilt, who had already missed a significant amount of time due to heel and back injuries to start the season, hobbled up while chasing the ball. His injury’s non-contact nature was particularly worrisome.
The 6-foot-8 Vanderbilt in the starting lineup last season was a big reason behind the Lakers’ unexpected trip to the Western Conference Finals. However, the Lakers suffer a significant loss in their defense and rebounding now that Vanderbilt is out for several weeks or longer. Given that they already have some intriguing plans in the works for that trade deadline next week, this news may also influence their decision-making.
