Rob Pelinka reveals Jarred Vanderbilt had surgery on each foot during offseason
In his media day interview, Rob Pelinka revealed that Jarred Vanderbilt had a pair of “procedures” over the summer with one surgery on each foot during the offseason.
One of the lingering questions about the Lakers heading into training camp got quite the surprising answer from Rob Pelinka on Wednesday. After suffering a foot injury midway through last season, Jarred Vanderbilt never returned to the court, but opted against surgery in an attempt to rehab quickly enough to get back for the Lakers’ playoff push.
However, after not featuring in the team’s first-round loss to the Nuggets, Vando opted for not just one but two surgeries this summer. Pelinka revealed that Vando had a pair of “procedures” this summer before further elaborating on what those were.
Rob Pelinka says Jarred Vanderbilt had procedures on each of his feet this offseason. He called them successful and has optimism that Vando will be ready to play by opening night of the regular season.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 25, 2024
Pelinka says Vanderbilt had a bone spur in his right foot addressed shortly after the season ended and when he was having that foot addressed, the doctor suggested he also have a procedure on his left foot https://t.co/EyLRBnmRin
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 25, 2024
The surgery for the bone spur dates back to the injury last preseason that kept Vando off the court for the season's opening weeks. This news from Pelinka also validates the reporting earlier this summer that Vando may not be ready for the preseason.
Overall, this is probably good news as it means the injuries that bothered Vando last season are fixed. He now has a clean bill of health and, at least according to Pelinka, should be back for the start of the regular season.
However, it’s another example of a questionable process from the Lakers. In a vacuum, Vando trying to avoid surgery to get back onto the court before ultimately having to have surgery would be understandable. Back when the injury happened, Pelinka talked about the possibility of needing season-ending surgery.
But for a Lakers franchise that has consistently mismanaged injuries or done things that have led to a fair amount of questioning regarding injuries, it’s a little harder to write off moments like this.
When Christian Wood is getting a second surgery on the same knee he had surgery on earlier in the year or Jalen Hood-Schifino goes from day-to-day to needing back surgery or this Vando situation plays out time and time again, it is indicative of a problem.
Ultimately, the end result here is a good thing with Vando being healthy again. But the process to get there deserves some questioning, which is an all-too-common theme for the Lakers in recent years.
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