It’s easy to forget that the Los Angeles Lakers have a very capable role player on their bench in guard Gabe Vincent. After all, Vincent spent most of this past season on the injured list because of a stubborn knee problem that eventually forced him to undergo a procedure.
From the beginning of November until the last day of March, he appeared in just one game. When he returned near the end of the regular season, he was out of rhythm and barely contributed despite getting some significant playing time.
It was only just over a calendar year ago that Vincent was a major contributor to the Miami Heat’s surprise run to the 2023 NBA Finals. Therefore, it is very conceivable that he will help the Lakers this coming season by playing gritty defense, hustling for loose balls and even hitting outside shots on occasion.
While speaking to Fox40, a Sacramento-area TV station, he said he’s feeling spry this offseason.
“It was very unfortunate, it was a frustrating year trying to battle through that and obviously having to give in eventually and have surgery and then return at the tail end of the year,” Vincent said. “But definitely had some time this offseason to get healthy and looking forward to the year.”
Vincent also admitted that coming to a new team and playing for a different head coach and in a different offensive system made his return from injury more complicated.
If all goes well, perhaps new head coach JJ Redick can turn to him as a glue guy off the bench. The key for him will be his outside shooting — he has shot over 34% from 3-point range just once in five NBA seasons, but he did hit 37.8% from downtown on a high volume of attempts in the 2023 playoffs.
