For as important as he has been to the Lakers, Jarred Vanderbilt’s inability to get and stay healthy is an increasing concern for the purple and gold. Vando has been sidelined since February with a foot injury initially and then surgery on his feet this offseason.
But any hope of a return being near was pretty effectively dashed by JJ Redick on Friday. With Vando still yet to do little more than light shooting after shootaround, it didn’t feel likely he was close to a return but the news from Redick before the team’s game against the Raptors didn’t make anyone feel any better.
I do think Redick is telling the truth here about discomfort being normal when getting back on the court. But I don’t think the phrasing helps anyone here, as the word “discomfort” has a bit of a negative connotation.
More concerning, though, is that we’re still on a timeline of weeks and not days when talking about his injury. The last we heard of Vando came at Media Day when it sounded like he was in good spirits.
In mid-October, Redick noted that Vanderbilt’s rehab was “progressing in a very positive direction.” The fact that Redick also emphasized this wasn’t a setback on Friday also feels like a good thing.
If he gets back healthy and is fine moving forward, then this will have been the right call. But the updates that include him not playing grow awfully repetitive and frustrating in the moment.
