The Lakers Will Pay for Another Broken Vanderbilt Injury
On a Spectrum SportsNet Podcast, reporter Mike Bresnahan spoke on Vanderbilt’s injury status, stating, “I’m not sure [Vanderbilt will] be ready for training camp or even for the preseason games.”
This news is especially frustrating to Laker fans, as Vanderbilt opted not to have surgery last season. This came after he suffered a “midfoot sprain” against the Boston Celtics. It was presumed that by deferring this surgery in-season, he would be able to play meaningful minutes during the 2024 season. And, to be fair, Vanderbilt was cleared to play for a crucial game 5 in the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, he was not given any minutes by head coach Darvin Ham and LA went on to lose that game to the Denver Nuggets.
A GOOD VANDO IS ONE THAT IS HEALTHY.
Fans are even more concerned because of how excellent Vanderbilt’s performance was prior to his injury.
Vanderbilt led all players in plus/minus ratio during a game against Golden State on January 27 and was a major factor in the Lakers’ comeback victory. He led all starters with a +17 plus/minus ratio in the game he was hurt in Boston, helping LA pull off an unexpected victory even without LeBron James or Anthony Davis.
