The Los Angeles Lakers have dealt with injury hurdles all season long, but they could be a few steps closer to getting back to full strength. The team announced Monday that Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot sprain), Max Christie (right ankle sprain), Cam Reddish (right ankle sprain) and Gabe Vincent (left knee surgery) will all be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.
With the trade deadline behind them and the signing of Spencer Dinwiddie now official, what’s next for the Lakers heading into the back end of the season, and how can these four help out when they return?
Despite adding Dinwiddie and the Lakers winning four of their last five, the team has missed these four players greatly. Vanderbilt has served as one of LA’s top defensive threats, with his length and versatility able to shut down the opponents’ best players. Reddish was right behind him, acting as an athletic 3-and-D wing the Lakers relied on in key moments. Christie made the most of his opportunities when injuries hit LA early, performing well when both starting and coming off the bench. And Vincent, who has only played five games this year, could still be a key ball-handler if he remains healthy.
The Lakers have handled the injury bug with mixed results, relying heavily on LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. The rest of the team’s rotation—Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, Taurean Prince and Jaxson Hayes—have also had their moments. However, the attention has been mainly on the first four to carry them to victory. Their depth has been able to both beat some of the best teams in the NBA and lose to the worst ones in embarrassing fashion. The four role players being out has forced the rest of the team to step up greatly. While they’ve laudably responded to the challenge, the Lakers are still in the Play-in picture—a disappointing reality when many expected them to be title contenders.
The Lakers did make small adjustments to help shoulder the load. Before bringing in Dinwiddie, the team signed Skylar Mays to a two-way contract and gave him some opportunities early on. They also have several rookies and two-way players who may be called up if needed. The Lakers have two more games—against the Pistons and Jazz—before the All-Star break, but their schedule will only grow tougher from there.
Though the timetables for Vanderbilt, Christie, Reddish and Vincent are to be determined, they will inevitably lead to some more questions within the Lakers’ rotation.
Their current starting lineup is Russell, Reaves, James, Hachimura and Davis. That group has gone 3-0 so far and, according to Darvin Ham, will stick around for now. Dinwiddie will assume the backup point guard role to Russell, leading to potentially diminished roles for VIncent and Christie upon their returns. In the frontcourt, Hachimura has finally flourished after an efficient but inconsistent season, helping Davis and his team-high 35.8 MPG immensely. Vanderbilt and Reddish returning will mean more depth behind Davis and James—including an increased defensive presence. However, it could also complicate the starting lineup that, so far, has worked wonders for the Lakers. Vando and Hachimura have made worthy cases for a starting spot, but Ham can only play one of them next to LeBron and AD.
The minutes distribution isn’t the only thing to consider in March—the opponents matter, too.
Nearly all of those teams (with the exception of Washington) are in the hunt for a playoff or Play-in spot. They also have players who are capable of exploiting the Lakers—and have done so on several occasions. The Lakers will need to hold their own like they’ve done throughout the year. They’ll look to earn their first wins of the season against the Timberwolves, Kings, Nuggets and Bucks. Their recent momentum and the All-Star break will help them out, but it doesn’t compare to having every player healthy and ready for battle.
March is prime time for NBA basketball. The postseason talk begins to heat up and teams prepare for the possibility of facing each other in the playoffs. The returns of these four Lakers, who all bring something unique to the table, will be vital in the weeks ahead. But for now, monitor the rest of LA’s supporting cast next to James and Davis, as their contributions will continue to be magnified with key players out.
