Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood take part in non-contact drills after Lakers shootaround

Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood both took part in some non-contact drills at Lakers shootaround on Thursday, which is a good sign as we near the end of the preseason.

To have a successful NBA season, you need skill, luck and health. On the injury front, the Lakers haven’t added any new significant injuries since the start of training camp, though that was only after some significant injury news leading up to the preseason.

Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt are the only two players who came into camp hurt and have yet to play.

On Thursday after Lakers shootaround, both participated in non-contact basketball drills, a good sign that both are still progressing in their rehab.

All positive updates on Vanderbilt and Wood are welcomed and encouraged.

Head coach JJ Redick provided recent updates on Vanderbilt last weekend as he noted the team was still “targeting the beginning of the season” for his return. However, he had yet to participate in the non-contact parts of practice at that point.

Vanderbilt has been injury-riddled the past season, only playing in 29 games due to a foot injury. This summer, he underwent surgery on both feet which is the injury he is still currently rehabbing. During Media Day, Vanderbilt said he felt “great,” but was still uncertain of his status for the first game of the season.

Seeing him doing non-contact drills at shootaround hopefully means he’s one step closer to a return to the floor.

Wood’s timeline is also a bit unclear.

He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and the Lakers said he would be re-evaluated in eight weeks, back in early September. This means that, based on the timeline given, the team should provide an update sometime in late October or early November.

However, at Lakers Media Day, Wood seemed more optimistic about his recovery, making it sound like he could be ready before October ends.

These are projections, of course, but there are two different timelines given, which means there’s a fair bit of uncertainty about when he’ll return.

Both players will help the Lakers in a number of ways this season, whether by adding depth to the frontcourt or defensive talent. With neither having a clear return date, every update and moment they’re on the court is going to be notable moving forward through the preseason and into the regular season.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.