Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt had to leave Thursday night’s game against the Boston Celtics due to right foot soreness and will not be returning.
Vanderbilt exited the court with 46 seconds left in the second quarter, having scored 10 points and making 2 of 3 three-point attempts. His departure further depletes the Lakers’ roster, already missing key starters LeBron James and Anthony Davis due to injuries.
With Vanderbilt out, Rui Hachimura is expected to see increased playing time, as he started the third quarter in place of Vanderbilt.
Despite Vanderbilt’s promising performance with seven rebounds and three steals in just 16 minutes, the game took an unfortunate turn when he appeared to injure his right foot while guarding Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
After an on-court examination, Vanderbilt was observed limping as he made his way to the locker room. This setback comes as Vanderbilt was starting his fifth game of the season, filling in for James and Davis, who were both absent in the same game for the first time this season.
Vanderbilt’s 2023-24 season has been marked by challenges, as he missed the initial 20 games due to an injury initially labeled as foot soreness but later clarified as left heel bursitis.
Since returning on December 2, he has played in 28 of 29 games, averaging 10.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game over his last seven appearances leading up to Thursday’s matchup.
Notably, this is the second time in three games that Vanderbilt has left early, following his ejection during Monday’s game against the Houston Rockets after a confrontation with Rockets forward Dillon Brooks.
