The Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of threats on their roster this season, and they also have interchangeable parts that should lead to many possible combinations and lineups.
One key player on this season’s team is guard Gabe Vincent, who came to L.A. in July after playing a big role in the Miami Heat unexpectedly making a run to the NBA Finals last spring. He is known as a tenacious, gritty defender, but he also has some skill on offense.
Buy Lakers TicketsVincent can hit open 3-pointers, and he can help L.A. on certain sequences in its set offense. Starting point guard D’Angelo Russell praised Vincent’s intelligence while talking about how he likes playing alongside another ball-handling, playmaking guard.
D’Angelo Russell speaks on the #LakeShow new additions and how much they bring to the team. pic.twitter.com/3A5t2pCj4Z
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 8, 2023
“Just very high IQ. He’s a professional. You add a guy like that to any team, the value is very high. And it’s appreciated with the league being so young, you have a lot of guys that are straddling that line of vet, experience, things like that. He’s got a lot of experience coming off the season he just had and the previous one as well. He’s just a professional. I can play with a lot of different lineups but I feel like my strength when I play great is when I have another point guard next to me. I like to play the game at a high IQ level, pace, and usually when you don’t have another point guard and you’re the only point guard out there, guys don’t get you the ball when you’re open. You backdoor cut, you set a flare, things like that. But when you’re playing with guys like that, it allows you to be on the other end of receiving those type of compliments I would say on the floor.”
In the Lakers’ preseason opener on Saturday versus the Golden State Warriors, Vincent shot 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Given the fluctuation in his 3-point accuracy over time, that stat may be the biggest factor in determining his ultimate value to the team.
