The Los Angeles Lakers could welcome Jarred Vanderbilt back soon

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt has been sidelined with a right foot sprain for nearly three months, last appearing in their 114-105 victory over the Boston Celtics on February 1st. He could be on the verge of returning the court in Game 3 of the Lakers’ first round matchup with the Denver Nuggets, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who wrote:

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, sidelined since Feb. 1 because of a right midfoot sprain, is targeting a return as soon as Game 3 of Los Angeles’ first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN. Vanderbilt has been ramping up his on-court workouts in the past two weeks, the source told ESPN, and participated in one of his most intense workouts yet Monday morning at Ball Arena. Vanderbilt’s availability will be determined based on how his body responds in the coming days leading up to Thursday’s Game 3 in Los Angeles. [h/t ESPN]

Vanderbilt was originally set to be re-evaluated 3-4 weeks after his initial diagnosis, however, the timeline of his return has remained vague since he first suffered the foot sprain. The injury has now kept him sidelined for the past 35 games, including the play-in tournament game and postseason. He would provide Los Angeles with a defensive boost on the perimeter. The sixth-year forward has been sidelined for most of the season, appearing in just 29 games.

He averaged 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocks in 20.0 minutes per game while shooting 51.8% from the field. Vanderbilt had been in the midst of a strong six-game stretch, in which he averaged 11.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.7 spg and 0.3 bpg in 23.7 mpg while shooting 61.9% from the field, 60.0% from three-point range and 76.5% from the free-throw line.

Jarred Vanderbilt is not the only player expected to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers

Christian Wood has not played in over two months after suffering a left knee injury in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 138-122 victory over the Utah Jazz on February 14th. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the big man could be on the verge of making his return to the lineup, tweeting:

Lakers F/C Christian Wood is planning to return to action in Game 3 vs. the Denver Nuggets on Thursday in LA, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. A key boost to Lakers frontcourt. Wood, out since Feb. 14 due to knee injury, has averaged 7 points and 5.1 rebounds this season. pic.twitter.com/DknRfbwpfx

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 21, 2024

Wood underwent a successful arthroscopic surgery on March 19th after initially appearing in position to rehab the injury. If he is able to return, it would mark the first postseason game of his eight-year career.

He appeared in 50 regular season games, with a fluctuating role that saw him play just 17.4 minutes per game. Wood averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field, 30.7% from three-point range and 70.2% from the free-throw line.

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