The Los Angeles Lakers were hoping that Gabe Vincent, a tough-minded, point-of-attack defender with 3-point shooting ability, would be the missing piece in their puzzle. But because he was limited to just 11 games during the regular season by a knee injury, his offensive game suffered greatly from not being able to find a rhythm.
Nonetheless, Vincent shown with the Miami Heat last season that he is capable of playing at a higher level come postseason time. That was demonstrated on Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans in a Play-In Tournament game as Vincent scored nine points off the bench and drained two 3-pointers out of four tries.
The Lakers needed that performance because it gave them energy on both ends of the court—especially without Jarred Vanderbilt. Vincent, who has a season shooting percentage of 30.6% from the field and 10.7% from three, says he feels better every game he plays. Watch him on Spectrum.
With both LeBron James and Anthony Davis having offensive struggles, the Lakers’ depth was a key component going into the season, and it was evident against the Pelicans. Vincent talked about how important it was for other guys to help pull off a courageous victory:
In the opening round, Vincent will face the Denver Nuggets, the reigning champions, again, and he will have to defend Jamal Murray a good amount. However, it is encouraging that he had his best game of the year in a pivotal Play-In game, suggesting that he will be a valuable member of a reduced postseason rotation.
