The Lakers will play the Warriors without Jarred Vanderbilt for the third game in a row, but the team is reportedly not concerned about whether or not he will be ready for the regular season.
At the beginning of the Lakers training camp, it appeared as though Jarred Vanderbilt had the inside track on the team’s fifth starting berth, but he may finish up on the bench instead. Dave McMenamin of ESPN is saying that the Los Angeles Lakers are “monitoring soreness” in Vanderbilt’s left heel, which has forced him to sit out of the team’s last two games after participating in the preseason opener. Not only will he miss the team’s game on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors, but he will also miss the game against the Warriors on Friday night.
McMenamin adds that his sources continue to anticipate Vanderbilt being prepared for the regular season, despite the fact that:
Even if Vanderbilt is ready, though, and even if he is the mysterious fifth starter Darvin Ham stated he’s already decided on, it’s hard not to be at least a little concerned that this may set the team behind a bit as they try to help everyone gel in new duties and responsibilities. It’s hard not to be at least a little concerned that this could set the team back as they try to help everyone gel in new roles and responsibilities.
The good news is that Vanderbilt played nearly half of a season and participated in a run to the Western Conference Finals with all four of the known Lakers starters. As a result, he won’t be set behind as much as a rookie player would be if they weren’t able to play much during the preseason and training camp.
In spite of this, if he is going to be coming off the bench, he and the squad may likely benefit from the addition of a few exhibition games and practices to assist him in settling into that role among newcomers such as Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, and Jaxson Hayes.
Nevertheless, this should not be a huge cause for concern at all. It doesn’t matter whether it takes Vanderbilt a few games during the regular season to adjust to his new teammates; the situation is what it is. When he joined the Lakers the previous season, we witnessed firsthand how quickly the 6’9 wing stopper could get up to speed and start contributing to the team’s success. Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers will just have to keep their fingers crossed that this heel issue that has been lingering isn’t a cause for concern for the club and that Vando will be able to participate in a significant manner once the games begin to count.
After sitting out on Friday night, Vanderbilt will have two more opportunities to play in the upcoming games: Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks and Thursday against the Phoenix Suns. However, it is still unknown whether Vanderbilt will participate in any more preseason games because the team is taking precautions with him.
Stay tuned to Silver Screen and Roll for updates on his situation and more, and let us know how you feel about this update in the comments section below. Stay tuned to Silver Screen and Roll for updates on his status and more.
