Lakers’ Jared Vanderbilt Suffers Severe Finger Injury

It’s probably one of the most painful injuries you could think of.

During the second quarter of the Thunder’s 108-90 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, Lakers forward Jared Vanderbilt suffered a complete dislocation of his right pinky finger. It was a dramatic moment that required him to be quickly escorted to the locker room, as ESPN reports.

Vanderbilt was attempting to block a shot when his hand hit the backboard. The impact was so severe that his little finger was visibly mangled, with the bone appearing to break through the skin.

He required stitches following the game.

This gruesome injury, witnessed by Oklahoma City players, evoked memories of Kevin Ware’s horrific leg fracture from the 2013 NCAA Tournament, which happened right in front of the opponent’s bench.

Even though the circumstances weren’t exactly the same, the reaction from the Thunder bench was telling. Star forward Jaylen Williams looked shocked as he took in the severity of the situation.

Vanderbilt’s exit from the game came after he managed only two points in six minutes—a significant setback for the Lakers, considering he’s one of their key defensive players.

Los Angeles may have to face the remainder of the series without him.

“He looked so bad that we had to go check him out,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I could hear him screaming, and that told me something serious had happened.”

Redick expressed his disappointment, calling it just a freak accident.

LeBron James, who was doing everything possible to secure a win that night, also shared his frustration over Vanderbilt’s injury. “He’s tough, and if he’s in pain, then you know it’s serious,” James commented, having scored 27 points in that game.

The clock is ticking for Vanderbilt as he prepares for Thursday’s Game 2, but the Lakers are holding out hope that star Luka Doncic will return during the series to help them turn things around.