Jarred Vanderbilt injury timetable update by John Calipari

After Jarred Vanderbilt was seen participating in light basketball activities before Monday and Friday’s games, John Calipari gave an update on his status and timetable in his latest mailbag.

“Well the first thing is, we gotta get him on the court and see if he can play,” Cal said. “I wouldn’t want him to play at 70-80%. He’s gotta feel healthy enough to run up and down the court and fly up and down and feel good about it. At the end of the month, we’ll put him on the court, he’ll start practicing, and then we’ll play it by ear. Obviously having another talented player like Jarred really helps our team.”

Vanderbilt has been seen doing some light shooting in pregame shootarounds for several games now.

Vanderbilt is dealing with an ankle injury that was believed to have him sidelined for awhile, perhaps even the entire season. But after opting to not have surgery and instead go the rest and recovery route, he’s looking to be on track to return sooner than expected.

This will be huge for Kentucky. Calipari has said in the past that having Vanderbilt on the floor greatly strengthens Kentucky’s defense, specifically their ability to press and block shots.