Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a gruesome injury against the OKC Thunder in Tuesday’s Game 1 of the 2026 NBA playoffs Western Conference semis. Vanderbilt attempted to block a Chet Holmgren dunk in the second quarter, but seemingly jammed his finger on the backboard.
He screamed in excruciating pain while clutching his right hand as the Lakers’ medical staff rushed to help him out near the OKC bench. Vanderbilt couldn’t bear the pain, rushed to the locker room with the Lakers staffer covering the player’s injured hand with a towel. Here’s the video of Vanderbilt’s injury:
The Lakers haven’t provided an official update, but video replay showed that Jarred Vanderbilt potentially dislocated a finger. It’s a tough blow for Los Angeles, as Vanderbilt was one of its better defenders who could have provided impactful minutes against OKC’s point of attack.
The Lakers entered this series shorthanded with Luka Doncic sidelined. If Jarred Vanderbilt has a finger fracture or dislocation, then the Lakers could be without two players for the rest of the series.
Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt officially ruled out of Game 1, citing right finger injury
The Lakers have ruled out Jarred Vanderbilt for the rest of Game 1, citing a right finger injury. NBC’s sideline reporter announced that on the broadcast at the start of the second half. Vanderbilt played six minutes, scoring two points. In the 2026 playoffs, he averaged 3.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 13.2 minutes before Tuesday’s Game 1 against the Thunder.
The Lakers leaned on him for stretches where they needed to win rebounding battles and limit scoring guards. In the OKC series, he was likely being used as one of the perimeter stoppers against Jared McCain-led second units.
The Lakers could use Bronny James to replace Jarred Vanderbilt’s minutes against smaller units and Maxi Kleber against teams with more size.
