Darvin Ham says Jarred Vanderbilt will be re-evaluated early next week

With the Lakers returning back to Los Angeles, Jarred Vanderbilt looks set to be re-evaluated in the coming days with his return from injury nearing.

If the Lakers’ late-season road trip wasn’t enough of a launching pad, then Jarred Vanderbilt's potential return may be the final push. While no date has been set for his return, the trajectory has been an upward one.

Being on the road means the team could not properly re-evaluate him, but that is now soon coming with the team back in Los Angeles. Head coach Darvin Ham gave the latest update on Vando before the Lakers’ game against the Wizards.

During the road trip, Vanderbilt started working out on the court pregame for the first time since his injury. So far, that work has been little more than stationary shooting. On Wednesday before the team’s win against the Wizards, he was doing a little bit more with some dribbling mixed in this time.

While Ham recently pushed back on the notion of a target date for his return, reports have been that the Lakers are looking at early-to-mid April to get Vanderbilt back. That’s going to put them right up against the end of the regular season.

Still, Vando is such an important part of their team that it’s worth bringing him back whenever he is fully healthy. He immediately transforms this team's defense and rebounding, two areas they’ve struggled with off and on throughout this season.

More than anything, though, he’s just an impactful player that the Lakers need on the court. And it’s looking more and more likely that time is coming.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.