Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood and Christian Koloko will face the Timberwolves

The Los Angeles Lakers announced Jarred Vanderbilt (recovering from a right foot injury), Christian Wood (recovering from a right knee injury) and Christian Koloko (returning to competition) for the opening night of the 2024-25 season against the Minnesota Timberwolves are excluded.

Vanderbilt is recovering from offseason procedures on both feet while Wood is rehabilitating a knee injury. The two frontcourt players were expected to miss the start of the regular season, particularly Vanderbilt, which head coach JJ Redick said was making progress but wasn't ready to play again.

During the preseason, the lack of frontcourt depth became apparent as Redick was forced to give Jaxson Hayes extended playing time at the center position. The team also waived Colin Castleton to give Quincy Olivari the final two-way contract spot, further weakening their center depth.

Vanderbilt's absence will be felt most acutely as he is Los Angeles' best fullback and most versatile defensive player due to his size, length and dynamism. On offense, Vanderbilt is limited to putbacks and layups, but has shown some signs of being able to assert itself in the third corner.

Meanwhile, Wood would be an ideal partner for Anthony Davis up front given his ability to spread the floor from beyond the arc. Redick is already encouraging players to shoot more from the 3-point line, so Wood should have the green light once he's ready to return.

With Vanderbilt or Wood unavailable, Davis is expected to play the majority of his minutes at center, with Hayes serving as his primary backup. Redick experimented with two big lineups, Davis and Hayes, and while they performed well in limited minutes, it's hard to imagine this being a consistent presence without another big man on the roster.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are waiting to hear back on Koloko's playing status. Koloko was forced to place himself on the NBA's fitness-to-play list after he was diagnosed with blood clots that were considered life-threatening. A panel was expected to make a decision on Koloko's playing status soon, and they may have already done so, as his status as of Tuesday night was “return to competition.”

Christian Wood explains the thought process behind the Lakers player option choice

Christian Wood was expected to play a key role in the rotation last season, but struggled to stay healthy down the stretch. When he entered free agency, Wood had a player option for the 2024-25 season, which he ultimately picked up.

Wood explained that he believes his market would not have been strong if he had opted out and wanted to stay home in Southern California.

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