Two weeks ago, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to take a flyer on Wenyen Gabriel, an undrafted forward who is in his third season in the NBA.
After giving him spot duty in his first few games, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel threw him into the fire on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, sending him onto the court for a total of 19 minutes.
He struggled offensively, making just one of his eight shots from the field, missing all three of his 3-point attempts and getting three of his overall shot attempts blocked.
However, Gabriel showed good energy and aggressiveness in other areas by grabbing nine rebounds and blocking one shot.
Vogel said after the game that he likes what Gabriel is bringing to his squad.
Via Lakersnation:
“I like the energy that Wenyen brings to our team,” Vogel said. “He plays super hard and has a pure attitude and is long and athletic. We need that type of length and athleticism at the forward position.
“He’s a little bit green in terms of being a young player, but definitely love his energy even though he didn’t make shots tonight.”
So far in his brief NBA career, Gabriel has gotten little playing time. But he has shown promise as a rebounder, 3-point shooter and even as a shot blocker.
At 6-foot-9, he can give L.A. some much-needed size and length up front, especially while Anthony Davis is out with a sprained foot.
The Lakers need more of a defensive presence and more accurate outside shooting from Gabriel, but much like forward Stanley Johnson was a couple of months ago, the 24-year-old is a breath of fresh air for a team that often looks physically and emotionally tired and defeated.
