Once upon a time, not that long ago, Gabe Vincent was starting in the NBA Finals. Now, just two seasons later, the Los Angeles Lakers are crossing their fingers and hoping he can finish on a wide-open layup. If it is not obvious already, that kind of level of play is simply not going to cut it.
Lakers losing their free agency gamble on Gabe Vincent
The Lakers desperately need Vincent to step up and prove he is still the NBA Finals-caliber guard he was during his time with the Miami Heat. Since arriving in Los Angeles, Vincent’s inconsistency, especially on offence, has been a real problem. With few alternatives, the team has no choice but to rely on him anyways.
The bottom line is, if Vincent can’t deliver next season, the Lakers’ depth and playoff hopes take a serious hit.
As Jovan Buha said on his podcastBuha’s Block: “Gabe Vincent is someone we’ve seen be a starter in Miami on a Finals team, but hasn’t lived up to that in L.A. He’s had some nice moments and is solid defensively, but his offence and shot selection have been all over the place.”
Back with Miami in the 2022-2023 season, Vincent averaged 12.7 points in the playoffs, shooting almost 38 percent from beyond the arc, all while playing some tough hard hard-nosed defense. With the Lakers, his production has dipped dramatically, as his recent playoff numbers are far below what a team chasing a championship can afford.
After a knee injury wiped out most of his first Lakers season, Vincent bounced back to play 72 games last year and showed rare glimpses of that 3-and-D player the team needs. The reality is that when he is hitting threes, the Lakers look sharper, but those moments have just been way too inconsistent.
Just take a look at what he has done for the Lakers in the postseason. Last year in the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he played just under 20 minutes a night and averaged 2.4 points.
If you think that is bad, the postseason the year before was even worse. During the 2023 playoff run, Vincent was averaging just 1.4 points per game, while shooting an abysmal 14.3 percent from deep.
With the Lakers unable to make a signing at even a minimum-level deal until Jan.18, the earliest, and Dalton Knecht’s major struggles of late, Vincent’s role is more important to the team than ever. If he rediscovers his Miami form, the Lakers bench suddenly becomes a weapon. If not, his inconsistency could be another glaring weakness in their championship run.
Right now, with what he has displayed in the purple and gold, it is hard to even try and trade him. Seeing him bounce back to his Heat form is a tough ask, but stranger things have happened before.