Jarred Vanderbilt Injury Update: Lakers and JJ Redick give positive update on defensive star, offer return timeline

The return of LA Lakers defensive forward Jarred Vanderbilt is drawing closer after nearly a year away due to injuries to both feet and, more recently, knee soreness. On Tuesday, the team provided updates on his progress.

Lakers head coach J.J. Redick shared that Vanderbilt participated in a contact practice on Monday, though only against coaches.

As reported by ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Redick said the team wants Vanderbilt to participate in 5-on-5 scrimmages — either with the Lakers or their G-League affiliate, South Bay — before he can be cleared for game action.

Vanderbilt is set to be re-evaluated in about a week.

Redick also mentioned that once Vanderbilt returns, his playing time will be restricted, as he has been out of competitive action for nearly a year.

The forward’s last game was in February of last year, when he scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded three steals in a matchup against the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers have struggled defensively this season, ranking in the bottom 10 in defensive rating and sitting 25th in the league in opponent shooting percentage.

Last season, Jarred Vanderbilt played 29 games for the Lakers, averaging 6.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 20.5 minutes per game.

J.J. Redick considers Jarred Vanderbilt an energy shifter

In July, ahead of the 2024-25 season, J.J. Redick spoke to Lakers.com about Jarred Vanderbilt’s impact on the team. Redick praised Vanderbilt’s energy and its ability to influence the flow of a game.

“I think the unique thing about Jarred, and a number of really good teams that made deep playoff runs have guys like him, that are energy, defense, ball hawks. He can sort of … I call them energy shifters,” the coach said (per Lakers.com).

“He can change the energy of an entire game, and he doesn’t have to do it with scoring, which makes him really unique. I can’t wait to coach him. Obviously he has some rehab to do for the rest of the summer, but when he’s healthy, he’s going to be a big part of what we do," he added.

Jarred Vanderbilt is widely considered the Lakers’ best perimeter defender on the current roster. While the team recently traded for Dorian Finney-Smith in exchange for D’Angelo Russell and is exploring additional trade options, Vanderbilt’s imminent return could influence their future moves.