The 2023 offseason appeared to be the time during which the Los Angeles Lakers had made the leap from contender to potential champion. Fresh off of appearing in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, Los Angeles extended defensive specialist Jarred Vanderbilt and signed postseason hero Gabe Vincent.
Vincent had just helped the Miami Heat reach the 2023 NBA Finals with a string of explosive scoring performances, and appeared to be the answer to the Lakers' most burning questions.
Unfortunately, Vincent appeared in just 11 games during his first season in Los Angeles. Lost were the thoughts that he could be the clutch addition who would provide enough depth to help the Lakers find an answer to Denver Nuggets sharpshooter Jamal Murray.
In just one season, the NBA community seemed to have forgotten that Vincent scored 20-plus points on six different occasions as Miami made its run to the Finals.
Fast forward to 2024-25 and a number of players have already taken a step forward under head coach JJ Redick. Unfortunately, Vincent hasn't yet experienced that same level of success during the early stages of the regular season.
As the Lakers face the harsh reality that their second unit is underperforming, questions have inevitably begun to surface about whether or not Vincent can help the team realize its potential.
Lakers need Gabe Vincent to take a massive step forward in 2024-25
Vincent has played relatively well on defense early in the 2024-25 season, which is a promising sign unto itself. His offense has thus far struggled to come along, however, as he's shooting 31.3 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc
A four-game sample size only counts for so much, but the Lakers can ill afford to go through the rest of the 2024-25 regular season with Vincent in his current form.
Vincent's defense is essential to what the Lakers are hoping to accomplish, especially when one considers D'Angelo Russell's more offensive inclinations. The second unit currently lacks a reliable scoring option, however, and Vincent is the most proven commodity among the options to resolve that issue.
Christian Wood should alleviate some of the pressure once he returns from arthroscopic knee surgery, and Dalton Knecht has obscene potential, but Vincent is as well-rounded an option as any.
Between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Vincent averaged 9.1 points and 1.7 three-point field goals made on .409/.351/.848 shooting. Those figures translated to 13.2 points and 2.5 threes per 36 minutes—the type of production Los Angeles would undoubedly benefit from receiving from a current reserve.
Beyond the numbers, Vincent has three-level scoring ability that includes the ability to attack off the bounce and either finish beneath the rim or pull up from midrange.
At an average of $11 million per season, the Lakers are banking on Vincent providing that value in the regular season and the postseason alike. Generating offense when his teammates are struggling is a significant aspect of what he brings to the table, and his unproven perimeter complements need a leader to pace them to stability.
The Lakers have an elite starting lineup, but if Vincent can't guide the second unit to a consistent output, a top-four seed will be tough to come by.