Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is looking to bounce back this season after a severe knee injury cost him most of the 2023-24 season. He only played 11 games after signing a three-year, $33 million contract the previous offseason, and wasn’t much of a factor in those games played as he averaged just 3.1 points per game.
Lakers’ JJ Redick praised Gabe Vincent’s work ethic
New Lakers head coach JJ Redick offered words of praise for the veteran guard as he looks to get back to being the solid role-play he once was with the Miami Heat.
“One of the things I just talked about with him is just having a really aggressive mentality,” Redick said via Lakers Nation. He is, and I knew this prior to him being back in the gym, I knew that he was super professional, Rob talked about that when I got the job. We have a lot of these guys, I feel very fortunate, but he’s like one of those guys where you’re like ‘Man I wish I had 10 Gabe Vincents.’”
Vincent was a crucial part of the Miami Heat’s NBA Finals run two seasons ago
Vincent was an instrumental part of the Heat’s unprecedented NBA Finals run in 2023. In the postseason, Vincent averaged 12.7 points and shot 38% from three while starting all 22 playoff games for Miami. Unfortunately, they were unable to finish the job as they were defeated by the Denver Nuggets in the finals.
The stellar performance of the undrafted guard is what led him to sign his contract with Los Angeles. The hope is that he can turn back the clock to playing the way he did two seasons ago now that he is back and healthy for the season.
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The Lakers will be relying heavily on Vincent this season
The Lakers really need a strong year out of Vincent, and their guard depth is filled with question marks across the depth chart. The guard makeup for Los Angeles is Vincent, D’Angelo Russell, and rookie Dalton Khnect, with a lot of those questions being around Vincent and his health.
It will likely take him time to get a feel for the game once again after the long layoff, but under a new head coach who fully trusts him, Vincent could flourish as a backup and become a very impactful player for the Lakers this season. The Lakers decided against making any splash moves this summer, so they will be banking on guys like Vincent to deliver positive results.
