Vanderbilt to reportedly miss `several weeks'
The right foot injury that forced Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt out of Thursday's victory in Boston could reportedly keep him sidelined for an extended period of time.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin reported Friday that Vanderbilt is “expected to miss several weeks” because of the injury. Vanderbilt is still being evaluated to further determine how long he'll be sidelined. The Lakers didn't have an official update on his status beyond him being listed as out for tonight's road game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden (5:30 p.m. PT).
Vanderbilt left in the second quarter of the Lakers' 114-105 victory over the Celtics because of what the team deemed “right foot soreness” after stealing the ball from Boston All-Star Jayson Tatum.
Vanderbilt's postgame Xray didn't show any injury or damage, the Lakers said. Vanderbilt finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in 16 minutes on a night when the Lakers were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“It's a shame he went down, but shout out to Vando, set an unbelievable tone for the game,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “His scrappiness, guarding everybody, starting on Tatum, of course, rebounding, getting us extra possessions,
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steals, made some great passes, gave us a couple assists.”
Vanderbilt was finding his rhythm on the court recently after missing the season's first 20 games because of left heel bursitis (inflammation).
He averaged 10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.8 assists in his last eight games (22.8 minutes) before suffering the foot injury. His quick-twitch was starting to show again in the way he defended opposing teams' top scoring options, jumped in passing lanes and crashed the offensive glass.
The defensive-minded Vanderbilt, whom the Lakers acquired from the Utah Jazz in February as part of their roster revamping ahead of last season's trade deadline, was a key contributor during the run to the Western Conference finals last spring.
Vanderbilt, who is in the final season of a three-year, $13.1 million contract he signed in September 2021, signed a four-year, $48 million extension with the Lakers this summer that will start next season.
LAKERS' HAYES MAKING PROGRESS AT DEFENDING WITHOUT FOULING >>
Lakers coach Darvin Ham is known for being honest and straightforward with feedback to his players.
So when Jaxson Hayes went from being in the regular rotation and playing consistently to being out of the rotation and mainly getting late-game minutes when the game's outcome was already decided, Hayes didn't have to wonder why — Ham and his staff communicated with him.
And that dialogue gave Hayes the feedback he needed to improve, helping him have a season-best performance in the Lakers' 114105 victory over the leaguebest Boston Celtics on Thursday night despite the Lakers being without Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Hayes had season highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds — six offensive rebounds — and three steals in the win in Boston. It was the eighth double-double of the 23-year-old's career and his first since April 5, 2022, when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans.
But the most impressive stat: zero fouls in a seasonhigh 34 minutes, demonstrating his growth when it comes to defending without fouling — an area of improvement throughout his five-year career.
“It was just keeping my hands back, showing my hands,” Hayes said “We've been working on that, me and the coaches have as funny as that sounds. In my individual workouts, I sit there with three coaches driving and just me standing out there going verticality and showing my hands or them doing a bunch of pump fakes and just making sure I stay down and show my hands.
“It was just practicing with the coaches the past month or so. That was a big talking point for Coach on why I was taken out of the rotation earlier in the year. I just wanted to make sure I did a good job on it.”
The No. 8 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Hayes' talent and athleticism are evident as soon as he steps on the court.
But since coming into the league he's struggled with fouling, averaging 4.3 fouls per 36 minutes entering this season. He enters today averaging 6.6 fouls per 36 minutes — the second-most in the league among players who have played at least 30 minutes.
Being foul-prone not only limits Hayes' playing time but also bails out opposing teams even when he's playing good defense up until fouling.
So Thursday night represented a step in the right direction for Hayes.
“He's learning,” Ham said. “And him getting these real game reps has been priceless. Zero fouls for him (Thursday) — he had a tough cover tonight with [Kristaps] Porzingis, times he switched onto (Jayson) Tatum. Tatum was working his way downhill, Jaxson was moving his feet and just showing his hands.
“Earlier in the season, we've seen him come out with three, four, fouls quick. It just shows the growth that's in him and the reason why he's here. We feel like he's a good young prospect for us that has a tremendous upside. And the sky's the limit. He just has to keep working, keep focusing on the details.”