When the Los Angeles Lakers signed Gabe Vincent to a three-year, $33 million contract, he was riding high off of a remarkable run through the 2023 NBA Playoffs. He scored 20 points in six different games, helping the Miami Heat improbably reach the NBA Finals.
Unfortunately, in two seasons with the Lakers, Vincent has thus far struggled to rediscover the form that made him worth every penny of his contract.
Vincent appeared in just 11 games in 2023-24, thus pressing pause on any semblance of excitement Lakers fans had about his arrival. It was an injury-plagued campaign that has inevitably resulted in a learning curve as he's returned to the court in 2024-25.
Unfortunately, at just 3.5 points and 1.1 assists per game on .341/.236/.500 shooting, Vincent has lost the benefit of the doubt in the eyes of many.
Thankfully, Vincent has recently experienced an uptick in production. As calls for him to be removed from the rotation ring throughout Los Angeles, he's taken them in stride and managed to be one of the few bright spots during a devastatingly poor stretch.
It's far too soon to label Vincent's quality form sustainable, but it's a welcome response to the well-founded criticism he received.
Gabe Vincent is beginning to find his form with Lakers
Vincent stepped up by scoring a season-high 10 points during a 105-104 win over the Utah Jazz on Dec. 1. He buried multiple three-point field goals for the first time all season and added three rebounds, two assists, and a steal to his tally.
Vincent tallied five points and two steals in just 22 minutes the next time out, burying another three-point field goal along the way.
In the Lakers' most recent outing, a 134-93 loss to the Miami Heat, Vincent offered a rare reason for optimism. He posted nine points, three assists, two rebounds, and three steals in just 24 minutes, knocking down another three-point field goal.
The recent three-game stretch marked the first time all season that Vincent has made at least one triple in three consecutive games.
Clearly, scoring 24 points across three games isn't going to silence the critics who expect consistency from him. What the performances proved, however, is that Vincent still has the talent to be an effective player off the bench.
On a night when there were a seemingly endless list of injury absences, Vincent gave the Lakers exactly what they needed—and previewed what may yet come.
The increase in production has directly coincided with a more aggressive mentality. It's the single biggest element of what's held him back in purple and gold, as the player who took over six different playoff games in 2023 has often been lost in the fray of an offensively inclined roster.
If Vincent can continue to be aggressive as a scorer and maintain his quality defensive play, his highly-anticipated development into the Lakers' sixth man could finally take shape.