Strong points
- Although reports have been mixed on the matter, Gabe Vincent appears to be close to returning to the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Vincent’s playoff success as a member of the Miami Heat last season gave hope for big things from the veteran guard.
- Vincent could challenge Spencer Dinwiddie for some minutes in the Lakers’ backcourt rotation.
Injuries, underperformance and some Drama by Darvin Ham despite everything, the the Los Angeles Lakers still find themselves fighting for a playoff spot in the wild Western Conference.
From Tuesday’s matches, LeBron JamesThe Crew sits in 9th place in the conference standings at 37-32; always within reach of n°8 Phoenix Suns, who are 2.5 games ahead at 39-29. The Lakers could also work their way up to the No. 6 or 7 seed, where the Sacramento Kings (39-28) and Dallas Mavericks (40-29) hold a three-game advantage over Los Angeles.
The Lakers could also get some help for one last playoff push, depending on which report you want to believe.
According to a report from CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter released Tuesday, forwards Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and Christian Wood (knee), as well as guard Gabe Vincent (knee), are expected to miss. the rest of the campaign. And while Wood’s news seemed true — he recently underwent arthroscopic surgery and was expected to be sidelined for several weeks — the other two were head-scratchers given recent updates on their respective rehabilitations.
To that end, longtime league insider Marc Stein proposed a contrasting account of Vincent’s status only a few hours later. Stein said the 27-year-old was close to returning and “intends to play again this season, barring any setbacks.” His return could be a boon for the Lakers’ backcourt rotation.
Vincent could elevate the Lakers bench to the end
Los Angeles had high hopes for the former Heat guard when he was signed
After leading some fans and pundits to believe that he could challenge D’Angelo Russell for the Lakers’ starting point guard job this season, Vincent instead entered Kendrick Nunn territory in short order thanks to his problems. knee.
As of this writing, he has only played in five games since Los Angeles signed him last summer (arguably the team’s biggest move outside of just James’ decision not to retire).
Before its fall, there were reasons to be excited about its potential impact. Vincent had just played a key role in obtaining the Miami heat Return to NBA Finals playing the best offensive basketball of his career.
In the 2023 playoffs, the UCSB product averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 assists and nearly a steal in 30.5 minutes per game. He also made 37.8 percent of his 6.1 three-point attempts per game.
|
Gabe Vincent’s 2022-23 split (with MIA) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Category |
Reg. Season |
Playoffs |
|
PPG |
9.4 |
12.7 |
|
APG |
2.5 |
3.5 |
|
Net rating |
-0.7 |
2.8 |
If Vincent returns – and can play at or near his peak level – he will still have to fight for minutes. At the trade deadline, the Lakers added Spencer Dinwiddie for a backcourt boost, and he has played an average of 23.3 minutes per game and posted a 9.0 net rating since joining the ‘team.
At the same time, however, Dinwiddie made just 35.4 percent of his shot attempts overall and 33.3 percent from deep as a Laker. So the door may be ajar for Vincent to reinsert himself into the mix.
Spencer Dinwiddie ruled himself out of Lakers’ playoff rotation
Dinwiddie’s stats have declined significantly since joining the Lakers, and as a result, his role with the team in the playoffs is uncertain.
