Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt’s return delayed by fluid in knee

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt recently experienced fluid in his left knee during his rehabilitation from offseason procedures on both feet and is targeting early January for his return, the Lakers told ESPN on Tuesday.

Vanderbilt, 25, suffered a sprain to the middle of his right foot on Feb. 1, causing him to miss the rest of the season. That came after Vanderbilt missed the first 20 games of last season due to left heel bursitis.

On November 20, the Lakers announced that Vanderbilt’s recovery following surgery on his right foot and removal of a bone spur in his left foot in May had taken longer than the team anticipated. However, the Lakers stated at the time that Vanderbilt had not suffered any setbacks during the return-to-play process and would be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks.

The six-year veteran is not on the Lakers’ current four-game road trip, which concludes with games in Miami on Wednesday and Atlanta on Friday, and is expected to be examined by team doctors after the trip.

Vanderbilt played the best basketball of his career last season before injuring his right foot: he averaged 10.5 points on 66% shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals in his final eight games from mid-January until the injury. at 114 Los Angeles. -105 victory over the Celtics on February 1.

However, his impact on the team has been sporadic, after being traded to the Lakers as part of a three-team deal two seasons ago.

Since signing a four-year, $48 million contract extension in September 2023, after the Lakers reached the Western Conference finals, Vanderbilt has appeared in just 29 of 109 games, including the regular season, the tournament season and play-in. tournament and playoffs.

Los Angeles is 12-9 without Vanderbilt to start this season, struggling with the league’s 24th defensive ranking, allowing 116.7 points per 100 possessions.

The Lakers have lost five of their last seven games, including a disheartening 109-80 loss against the Timberwolves on Monday.

Beyond bolstering the defense by being called upon to protect opponents’ best perimeter players, Vanderbilt’s absence has prevented new coach JJ Redick from finding his ideal rotation. His absence has also prevented the Lakers front office from fully evaluating the needs of its roster as trade season approaches.