JJ Redick says Jarred Vanderbilt’s return is ‘imminent,’ could come during homestand
Having missed every game this year so far, Jarred Vanderbilt appears to be well on his way to returning to the court for the Lakers.
Recently, the Lakers have begun to shape their identity as a defensive-minded team. They traded away an offensive player in D'Angelo Russell for two 3-and-D guys in Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.
This acquisition has created a scenario where the Lakers are shifting toward being a small-ball team that can switch better defensively.
One player who would be a dream to have available on this team is Jarred Vanderbilt. He's been out all year recovering from foot surgery but has recently been making "meaningful strides" in rehab.
After Friday's practice, Lakers head coach JJ Redick gave another positive update on Vanderbilt's progress.
"Jarred was able to get, two of the last three days, some live action with our South Bay team, which is, I think, really good for him," Redick said. "We want to give him more exposure to live play against professionals before we set a, sort of, target date. But it is imminent that he'll be back with us in the next, hopefully, few weeks.
"But, again, no setbacks, lots of progress. The conditioning and just, anybody who has played a sport and has been injured for an extended period of time, there's the confidence you have to build in your body and he's getting there. Each time we've exposed him to live play, it's been better and better. He's close."
It's great to hear Vando is now working extra hours with South Bay. This is a new development and given that his body is responding well to it, fans can begin to expect Vanderbilt's return sooner rather than later.
When discussing how soon that will be, Redick didn't want to commit to him returning during the team's upcoming homestand but did say that is the desired outcome.
"I don't want to commit to anything," Redick said. "That's the hope but I don't want to commit to anything. I think we've taken the approach, going back to the start of the preseason and certainly in the offseason, that we're playing the long game here and we want him fully healthy and confident before we put him on the court."
The Lakers' homestand was supposed to be five games and end on Jan. 17 against the Brooklyn Nets. However, wildfires have damaged and impacted large parts of Los Angeles County, resulting in the NBA postponing two games.
So, the upcoming schedule for the Lakers is very much up in the air, as this natural disaster is the most important issue to address in Los Angeles.
Still, any good news of any capacity is welcomed right now and hearing that Vando is nearing a return to the court is a morsel of positivity Lakers fans will gladly take.
Let's hope the city is safe, the purple and gold can return to the floor and Vando will soon join them.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.