Some people scratched their heads when the Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Gabe Vincent to a three-year, $33 million contract in the summer of 2023. He was coming off a strong run to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, but some Lakers fans wanted to see the team instead retain Dennis Schroder, who was a key piece when it reached the Western Conference Finals that spring.
Vincent missed almost all of last season due to a knee injury, and when he struggled early this season, people were ready to write him off as an overpaid bust. But in the Lakers’ four-game road trip that concluded on Friday, he stepped up his offensive game for the first time since he signed with them.
His defensive energy and effort have always been constants. But in those four games, he averaged 9.0 points in 28.2 minutes a game while shooting 37.5% from 3-point range, and on Friday versus the Atlanta Hawks, he scored 12 points and added five assists.
The University of California, Santa Barbara product said he was looking to be aggressive in recent games, especially with starting guard Austin Reaves out due to a pelvic contusion (h/t Lakers Nation).
Via The Orange County Register:
“Every night I just come out and try to make the right read and play my game. And like I said, [on Friday], the ball was in my hands a little more. It came my way a little more. And it has been a little this trip and I’ve just trying to be aggressive and make good reads.”
Vincent started two of the four games in this recent road trip, and on Friday, he played 34 minutes, including most of the fourth quarter and overtime. If his performance on Friday is a sign of things to come, it would be a big boon for a Lakers team that already had a very weak bench, especially offensively, even prior to Reaves getting hurt.