Jarred Vanderbilt Update, Latest on Lakers Star's Status for G3 vs. Thunder After Gruesome Injury

The Los Angeles Lakers have already been battered by injuries this offseason, but it appears one player is ready to return to the court for Game 3 of the their NBA Playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jarred Vanderbilt, who suffered a right finger dislocation in Los Angeles' Game 1 loss and was ruled out for Game 2, has been made available for Game 3, per Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

Vanderbilt injured his finger in Game 1 after hitting his hand on the backboard while trying to block a shot. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game after playing just six minutes.

Vanderbilt didn't play a huge role for the Lakers in Round 1, posting just 3.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while playing 13.4 minutes per contest, but Los Angeles can't afford to lose any more depth as it goes up against the NBA's best.

The Lakers were without Austin Reaves for most of their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, and they've been without Luka Dončić the entire postseason as he recovers from a hamstring injury suffered in early April.

Luckily for Los Angeles, Reaves returned in Game 5 against the Rockets and is back in action in the second round, giving LeBron James some help after he carried the load in Round 1.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, it seems Dončić's return could still be a ways away. ESPN's Shams Charania reported Sunday that the star guard is on a "week-to-week basis," with one source calling it "a slow path on Dončić's recovery."

"He's doing more on the court, but right now still not full-fledged running or full contact workouts," Charania said.

Going up against the defending champs was going to be hard no matter what, but being without Dončić makes things even more difficult.

With Vanderbilt set to return for Game 3, the Lakers will hope to avoid going down 3-0 to the Thunder.