Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt to miss several weeks with a right foot injury

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to miss at least several weeks with a right foot injury. Vanderbilt, 24, will undergo a more extensive examination in the coming days to determine the full extent of the injury and whether a season-ending procedure is needed.

Vanderbilt suffered the injury late in the first half of Los Angeles’ 114-105 upset win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday. Although X-rays taken at TD Garden Thursday night were negative, Vanderbilt is continuing to seek medical advice on the extent of his injury.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham made Vanderbilt a starter Thursday after LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) and Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy, left hip spasm) were downgraded to out against Boston. The 6-foot-8 wing finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals in 16 minutes.

ESPN Sources with @McTen: Lakers F Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to miss several weeks with a right foot injury. Further evaluation is expected to see if it’s an injury that might keep him out even longer. pic.twitter.com/80JzJnVIkl

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 2, 2024

“It’s a shame he went down but shout-out to Vando [for setting] an unbelievable tone for the game,” Ham said of Vanderbilt’s performance. “His scrappiness, guarding everybody, starting on [Jayson] Tatum, rebounding, [and] steals. He was great along with everybody else.”

Despite playing just 16 minutes, Vanderbilt was still able to notch his sixth double-digit scoring game of the season. Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes called him the “heart and soul” of the team during a postgame interview with Spectrum SportsNet.

More importantly, in addition to playing without James and Davis, the Lakers are still without Cam Reddish (ankle) and Gabe Vincent (knee). Both guards remain out indefinitely.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt missed first 20 games of the season due to bursitis in left heel

Vanderbilt missed the first 20 games of the season because of bursitis in his left heel. The six-year veteran has made six starts through 29 games this season with the Lakers. He’s averaging 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 20 minutes per game.

The University of Kentucky product is also shooting 51.8% from the field. In his past six games, Vanderbilt averaged 11.3 points — the highest points-per-game average over a six-game stretch in his six-year career, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

In Los Angeles’ 141-132 victory against the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 25, the forward recorded a season-high 17 points, five rebounds, three steals, and one block in 27 minutes off the bench.

Darvin Ham: “It’s a shame he went down but shout-out to Vando.”

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 2, 2024

Vanderbilt, 24, signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the Lakers in September. His new deal begins next season and runs through 2027-28.

He’s currently in the final season of the three-year, $13.12 million contract he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in September 2021. This was before the Wolves traded him to the Utah Jazz in July 2022.

Utah sent Vanderbilt to L.A. in a three-team trade last February.

Furthermore, the Lakers upset Boston as a 15.5-point underdog. They had won just one of their last six games against the Celtics before Thursday’s victory. All the money was on Boston to win but not cover the spread.

Boston also fell to 22-3 at home for the season. It was only Los Angeles’ eighth road win of the season and seventh as an underdog. The Lakers are now 6-4 in their past 10 games.