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The Los Angeles Lakers have found their groove back after a 117-114 upset loss in Hollywood last Monday at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. Since then, Los Angeles has gone 2-0, with back-to-back victories over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day (115-113) and over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday (132-122).
The Lakers pulled off that pair of wins without the services of big men Jaxson Hayes and Jarred Vanderbilt. Los Angeles also did not have four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James in the Sacramento game.
Lakers give updates on Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes ahead of Cavaliers game
On Monday, Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided some positive injury updates on Hayes and Vanderbilt (h/t
Dave McMenamin of ESPN).
“Gabe Vincent (hip) did not practice today, per JJ Redick. Redick added that Jaxson Hayes (ankle) is probable to play for the first time since late November. Jarred Vanderbilt (foot injuries) also participated in the non-contact portion of practice.”
Hayes has missed all of the Lakers' last 14 games, while Vanderbilt has yet to make his 2024-25 NBA season debut. Los Angeles could certainly use some depth in the frontcourt to help lighten the load on the shoulders of Anthony Davis and James. So far in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, Hayes has averaged 6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks through just 11 games.
Vanderbilt, on the other hand, put up 5.2 points, 4.8 boards, 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocks across 29 games in the 2023-24 campaign for Los Angeles. He underwent multiple surgeries in the offseason to address his injuries on both feet. That's not to mention the continued absence of another LA big man in Christian Wood who has not seen action yet this season.
However, the Lakers did make a move to address their thin frontcourt by trading for versatile forward Dorian Finney-Smith. The Lakers acquired Finney-Smith along with Shake Milton over the weekend in exchange for D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and some future picks.
Finney-Smith can fast-track his learning curve with the Lakers while Hayes and Vanderbilt are sidelined with injuries. While it can take some time before he familiarizes himself with a new environment, Finney-Smith could potentially see ample playing time for LA in the early goings of his stint with the Purple & Gold, including this coming Tuesday's date with the Cleveland Cavaliers at Crypto.com Arena.
