Jarred Vanderbilt probably won’t play during the preseason, but the Lakers remain hopeful that he’ll be ready when the regular season tips off October 22, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The team is bringing Vanderbilt along slowly after he had surgery on both feet in May, and he continues to make progress toward being available for opening night. Coach J.J. Redick told reporters after Saturday’s practice that Vanderbilt hasn’t experienced any complications since training camp began.
“He’s following our ramp-up protocol,” Redick said. “He has not done any contact work. He has not participated in any non-contact practice. But we’re still trying to target the beginning of the season. Our ramp-up process, we’re on, sort of, target. So it remains to be seen if he’ll be available. But no setbacks. And he just continues to work his way back.”
Vanderbilt became an immediate starter after being acquired from Utah at the 2023 trade deadline and played an important role as the Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals. Injuries limited him to 29 games last season, and his return could be vital for Redick as he installs new defensive schemes.
“We’ve had some fun with one of our zones,” Redick said. “We haven’t practiced it, but we’ve used it in a game a couple times. We have another version of a zone that features [Vanderbilt]. I’m looking forward to experimenting with that. Probably won’t get to experiment with it in the preseason.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Austin Reaves missed Thursday’s game with soreness in his right ankle, but Redick doesn’t believe it’s a long-term concern, Price adds. He was a non-contact participant in today’s practice and could return for Tuesday’s matchup with Golden State.
- Quincy Olivari, who’s in camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, made a strong impression on his teammates and coaches Thursday night, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. The rookie guard out of Xavier put up 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in the fourth quarter and helped to spark a 20-0 run. Olivari said it was a “fairly easy decision” to join the Lakers, even though there’s not a roster spot available, especially after he was recruited following the draft by Nick Mazzella, general manager of the team’s South Bay affiliate in the G League. “He takes the game very seriously,” Redick said. “He’s a player who, I talk about care factor, he’s a player who has a care factor for doing it the right way and wanting to execute whatever vision you give him. I’m excited that he’s in our program, I really am. We look at him as a coaching staff in very high regard.”
- The Lakers are exploring the trade market in hopes of adding another center, Shams Charania of ESPN said Friday in his debut appearance on NBA Today (video link). Charania didn’t mention any potential targets, but he pointed out that Christian Wood continues to recover after having knee surgery last month, while two-way player Christian Koloko still hasn’t received medical clearance to return to the league, even though Lakers doctors remain confident it will eventually happen.
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