The Los Angeles Lakers announced Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot injury recovery), Christian Wood (right knee injury recovery) and Christian Koloko (return to competition reconditioning) have been ruled out for Opening Night of the 2024-25 season against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Vanderbilt is recovering from offseason procedures to both his feet, while Wood is rehabbing a knee injury. The two frontcourt players were expected to miss the start of the regular season, particularly Vanderbilt whom head coach JJ Redick said is progressing but not ready to return to play just yet.
During the preseason, the lack of frontcourt depth was apparent as Redick was forced to give Jaxson Hayes extended playing time at the center position. The team also waived Colin Castleton to give Quincy Olivari their final two-way contract spot, thus sapping their center depth more.
Vanderbilt’s absence will be felt the most as he is Los Angeles’ best perimeter defender and their most versatile piece defensively because of his size, length and hustle. Offensively Vanderbilt is limited to putbacks and layups, but has shown some flashes of being able to known down the corner three.
Meanwhile, Wood would be an ideal partner for Anthony Davis in the frontcourt because of his ability to space the floor from beyond the arc. Redick is already encouraging players to shoot more from the 3-point line, so Wood should have the green light once he’s ready to return.
Without Vanderbilt or Wood available, Davis is expected to play the bulk of his minutes at center with Hayes acting as his primary backup. Redick experimented with two-big lineups of Davis and Hayes and while they performed well in limited minutes, it’s hard to see that being a consistent look without another big man on the roster.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have been waiting to hear back on Koloko’s playing status. Koloko was forced to go on the NBA’s fitness-to-play list after he was diagnosed with blood clots that were considered life-threatening. A panel was expected to reach a decision on Koloko’s playing status soon, and perhaps they already did with his status being “return to competition reconditioning” for Tuesday night.
Christian Wood explains thought process behind picking up Lakers player option
Christian Wood was supposed to be a key cog in the rotation last season, but struggled to stay healthy down the stretch. Entering free agency, Wood had a player option for the 2024-25 season that he wound up picking up.
Wood explained that he believed his market wouldn’t have been strong if he opted out and wanted to stay home in Southern California.
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