Sources: Lakers' Vanderbilt out several weeks

NEW YORK — Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to miss a minimum of several weeks with a right foot injury, and could be out even longer pending further evaluation, sources told ESPN on Friday.

Vanderbilt will undergo more extensive consultation in the coming days on his midfoot area to determine the full extent of the injury and whether a season-ending procedure could become necessary, sources said.

Vanderbilt suffered the injury late in the first half of L.A.’s 114-105 upset win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday. X-rays taken at the arena Thursday night were negative, according to the team, but Vanderbilt is continuing to seek medical opinions.

After missing the first 20 games of the season with bursitis in his left heel, Vanderbilt had started to return to form of late, flashing signs of being the impact player who was so crucial to L.A.’s run to the Western Conference finals last spring.

In the Lakers’ past eight games, Vanderbilt averaged 10.5 points on 66% shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals. In his past six games, Vanderbilt averaged 11.3 points — the highest points per game average over a six-game stretch in his six-year career, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes called Vanderbilt the “heart and soul” of the team during an on-court interview with Spectrum SportsNet after the win over the Celtics.

With guard Gabe Vincent already missing while he recovers from a knee procedure, Vanderbilt’s absence is a major blow to L.A.’s point-of-attack defense. Vanderbilt was often assigned to the opposing team’s biggest offensive threat. Since arriving in L.A., his top-5 defensive half-court matchups are Brandon Ingram, Anthony Edwards, DeMar DeRozan, Devin Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, per Second Spectrum tracking.

Vanderbilt, 24, signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the Lakers shortly before training camp opened in the fall.