Health has been hard to come by for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2023-24 season as they’ve been without several players.
Jarred Vanderbilt has yet to make his debut for the Lakers this year due to left heel bursitis, while Gabe Vincent is set to be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks as he works his way back from a knee issue. The Lakers suffered another hit when Cam Reddish was forced to leave the game early against the Utah Jazz and was diagnosed with left adductor soreness.
Reddish was also ruled out against the Dallas Mavericks and the team could have really used him to help corral both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Reddish has been great on both ends since being inserted into the starting lineup, and Los Angeles has missed his energy.
Fortunately, head coach Darvin Ham said Reddish’s injury isn’t serious and is considered day-to-day. “His MRI came back pretty much clean,” Ham said. “Just an old issue that he was dealing with but not as severe as we were in fear of. It will be a day-to-day thing that we’ll have to manage.”
It’s good news that Reddish avoided a serious injury as he looked healthy before suddenly being pulled against the Jazz. However, the wing depth on the team has taken a hit since his absence as it’s forced Taurean Prince and Max Christie to absorb more minutes and neither have been as effective as Reddish so far.
Los Angeles has always been forced to play LeBron James more minutes than they would like, so getting Reddish back sooner rather than later would go a long way in helping them rest the superstar. Fortunately for the team, they get a couple of days off before they hit the road for four games starting on Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If Reddish is unable to come back against the Cavaliers, his next opportunity would come next Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers could use Reddish’s defense against both those squads, so hopefully he’s able to suit up.
Jarred Vanderbilt has not had any contact yet
Vanderbilt hasn’t played since Los Angeles’ first preseason game but he was recently cleared to begin a return to play rehab program. While Vanderbilt is making progress, it seems as though he still has a ways to go before he is able to play as he has yet to take any contact.
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