Jarred Vanderbilt of the Los Angeles Lakers may make a comeback to the court prior to the start of the postseason.

1. There is “internal optimism” inside the club, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, that Vanderbilt will be able to return before the Lakers’ last regular-season game on April 14.

Despite the initial report on Tuesday by CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter stating that “the expectation is that” the 24-year-old won’t be able to return, there seems to be some hope that he can assist Los Angeles in preparation for their postseason run. Due to a foot injury, Vanderbilt has not practiced in a game since February 1. Due to left heel bursitis, he missed the first few games of the 2023–24 season and has only played in 29 games overall.

When he was healthy, he frequently alternated between the starting lineup and the bench, causing his minutes to fluctuate. He was shooting 51.8 percent from the field and averaged 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game prior to his foot problem. The Lakers, who finished as the ninth seed in the conference with a 37-32 record, have suffered since reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2023. A portion of Los Angeles’ unsatisfactory season can be ascribed to the team’s high injury toll.

Currently sidelined are Vanderbilt, forward Cam Reddish, center Christian Wood, and point guard Gabe Vincent. Wood is anticipated to miss the remainder of the regular season, according to Buha, though there’s a “chance” that he could return for a tournament play-in appearance. Compared to Vanderbilt, there is less hope for Vincent’s possible comeback.

The former second-round pick was crucial to the Lakers’ conference finals success after being dealt to them in February 2023. He started 13 of the team’s playoff games. Due in large part to Vanderbilt’s absence, Los Angeles’ defense is ranked No. 17 out of all teams in 2023–24 with a 115.5 defensive rating (per NBA.com).