The Lakers were expected to make a significant acquisition with the signing of former Miami Heat starting guard Gabe Vincent, who would address the team’s two main problems—inconsistent three-point shooting and weak point-of-attack defense.
In addition to being a strong point-of-attack defender, Vincent started as the point guard for the Miami Heat, who won the Eastern Conference in 2023. He also made 38% of his 3-point attempts.
But for the Lakers, things have been disastrous from the start.
The product of UC Santa Barbara has only played in five of the team’s twenty-eight games this season due to injuries. He’s shooting 11% from beyond the arc for a porous 5 points per game on average, and to make matters worse, he may not be available until the final stretch of the regular season.
Vincent’s recovery is expected to take six to eight weeks, which means he won’t be available until the trade deadline on February 8. This is problematic because LA won’t know what he could bring back when healthy, which will affect their ability to make the trades they need to.
At his best, Vincent can be a reliable 3-and-D point guard for LA, saving them from having to trade for a different offensive point guard/shooter. However, if he plays poorly the entire season, they will be without a vital player that every opponent has.
This is a significant short-term issue for the Lakers, aside from the effect on upcoming trades. Without Vincent, LA’s three main problems—shot creation, shooting, and point-of-attack defense—are all exacerbated. Vincent has the potential to be a very useful player. Sooner rather than later, he must return.
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