OKLAHOMA CITY — How JJ Redick began his Wednesday press conference, was unlike any of his since joining the Lakers as the head coach two seasons ago.
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Casually, Redick described the status of forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who dislocated his right pinky finger in the second quarter of the Lakers’ series-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder after slamming his hand against the backboard while contesting a shot. What he can contribute for the rest of the best-of-seven second-round series remains unclear.
“They were able to put (Vanderbilt’s) finger back together,” Redick said. “And it’s splinted and he’s day-to-day.”
Backup center Jaxson Hayes turned his coach’s PG-rated version of Vanderbilt’s gnarly “freak” injury, which had Thunder players turning away from the scene in anguish, into a rated-R description.
“I mean, did you see the picture of his finger?” Hayes said when asked about his teammate’s “full dislocation.”
“It was disgusting! Bro’s whole bone was out of his skin,” Hayes continued. “I mean, that was, obviously, you never want to see one of your teammates go down, but, um, I mean, that was gross. That was really gross.”
Hayes said Vanderbilt’s injury was the “worst dislocation I’ve ever seen in my life.” Redick said Vanderbilt required what is called a reduction; which in layman’s terms, is maneuvering the bone back into it’s socket. Or in Vanderbilt’s case, within his finger.
Redick called Vanderbilt a “tough-minded” player, even offering to send pictures of his injury to his coach so he could share along with Chelsea Redick, his wife, who was curious about the player’s injury.
“From my understanding, it’s basically making sure basically the tissue is healed enough,” Redick said when asked what it would take for Vanderbilt to return for Game 2. “We’re obviously going to splint him, but making sure the tissue is healed enough to protect his skin barrier.”
Vanderbilt played for just over six minutes Tuesday before his injury, tallying a dunk, a rebound and a personal foul in his short stint. The 27-year-old played in each first-round game against the Rockets except the series clincher in Game 6 last Friday.
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REAVES TRIES TO BOUNCE BACK
After the Lakers’ 108-90 loss in Game 1 on Tuesday, Austin Reaves didn’t shy away from the burden of struggling on a stage like the playoffs.
Just three games back from a Grade 2 left oblique strain that sideline him for nearly a month, the team’s second-leading scorer (23.3 ppg) shot a woeful 3 for 16 from the field, struggling to make an impact as the Lakers searched for offensive production outside of LeBron James (game-high 27 points) and Rui Hachimura (18 points).
“I got to get my spots multiple times and just missed a couple of easy shots,” Reaves said Tuesday night.
Reaves, sitting in the same Paycom Center locker room where he and Luka Doncic decompressed after each suffered Grade 2 strains on April 2, said he simply just has to play better. Doncic (left hamstring), who spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since his injury, said his message to Reaves is just to embrace who he is as a basketball player.
“Obviously it’s tough,” Doncic said. “But my message to him is just be yourself. We all know he’s an amazing player, and we all know he’s gonna bounce back, so I’m just here to support. And whatever he needs, I can help. But just be yourself. He’s an amazing player.”
Redick shared a similar message for Reaves, who is shooting just 30% (14 for 46) from the field and 12% (2 for 17) from 3-point range since returning for Game 5 against the Rockets.
“We need Austin to be Austin,” Redick said. “I think the reality is … it’s ideally when you get to this time of year, your body is kind of in peak shape from a conditioning standpoint, from a fitness standpoint. When you’re out, it doesn’t matter what you do – echo bike, treadmill, running on the court, whatever – nothing can simulate playing in an NBA game, much less an NBA playoff game.
“There’s a little bit of a catch-up there for him and then as a staff, we got to help him put him in positions to be successful.”
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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND GAME 2
Who: Lakers (down 1-0) at Thunder
When: Thursday, 6:30 PT
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City
TV/Radio: Prime/710 AM, 980 AM