Impact of Vanderbilt’s Injury on Lakers

There is speculation that Laker’s forward Jarred Vanderbilt could miss an extended period of time. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that he may be out for the season with a right foot injury. 

Are the Lakers still contenders with Vanderbilt out?

Although the Lakers have an array of stars on the team to content for a championship, Vanderbilt was going to be a key piece of the puzzle. His production doesn’t reflect the impact he has on the court as he is currently averaging 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. 

Vanderbilt was the utility specialist and always seemed to bring the energy that sparked his teammates to another level. He even would take on the daunting task of guarding the other team’s best player. The Celtics caught a glimpse of how important he can be to the lakers as he was a big part of why they beat Boston last Wednesday.

Vanderbilt was everywhere creating turnovers which led to transition points. He even had 10 points with 7 rebounds in the first half alone. It seemed like he could be a key difference in getting the Lakers to the NBA finals. His night would eventually be cut short by suffering a foot injury, however the Lakers handily beat the east-leading Celtics, 114-105.

Of course, the Lakers do have the talent to make a strong push in the playoffs anyway. With players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they are certainly poised to make a deep run in the playoffs. 

Vanderbilt was going to be that X-factor, but now the Lakers are looking toward other faces like Austin Reeves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. Hachimura, who hasn’t gotten much playing time will be a name that will consistently be in Laker lineups with the absence of Vanderbilt. 

He, just like Reeves and Russell will need to fill his void in the short term and will certainly be called upon when the lights shine the brightest.

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