Painful Jarred Vanderbilt injury update all but confirms his Lakers fate after Game 1

A big story from the Game 1 was an already undermanned Los Angeles Lakers team losing another key contributor. Jarred Vanderbilt exited the game and never returned during the Lakers' tough 108-90 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1.

Vanderbilt missed a contest on a Chet Holmgren dunk and absolutely smashed his pinky finger off the glass in the process. The Lakers forward immediately clutched his hand after the play. Whatever his finger looked like after that moment drew a lively reaction from the Thunder players on the sideline who saw it.

It did not take much time for the Lakers to confirm that Vanderbilt would not return to Game 1. The two-way forward was ruled out before this one was over, and the update after the matchup was so much worse. ESPN Los Angeles reported anything but a positive update on Vando's injury.

"Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a severe injury tonight, sources telling ESPN that he fully dislocated the pinky finger on his right hand."

Jarred Vanderbilt likely joining Luka Doncic in street clothes after Game 1

Seeing the words "severe" and "injury" back-to-back in a sentence is never comforting. It sure sounds like the Lakers will not be immediately banking on Vanderbilt's availability after Game 1.

After a rollercoaster of an individual season, Vando worked his way back into the Lakers rotation for the playoffs. Before Austin Reaves came back, Vanderbilt operated as the eighth man off the bench for Los Angeles. Even after the star guard's return, JJ Redick only slid him down one spot in the pecking order.

Now, the Lakers coach will have to figure out his replacement.

Should the injury keep Vanderbilt out for the rest of the series, it would continue an unfortunate career trend for the athletic forward. Vando has been all too familiar with the injury report throughout the last few seasons for the Lakers.

On the whole, this was his healthiest season in a long time. Vanderbilt appeared in 65 games for the Lakers during the regular season. That is the most he has played in a campaign since 2022-23, when the 27-year-old suited up for 78 games.

Vanderbilt is not as stout of a defender as he once was, but the play on that end is still reasonably solid. His energy and presence on the glass have been an area in which the veteran forward has shined too.

The Lakers will need to figure out how to work around missing that impact. They will have to solve that matter quickly, too, with Game 2 slated for Thursday night.

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