Gabe Vincent must be a fan of Robert Zemeckis' award-winning movie Forrest Gump. His experience as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers has certainly resembled that of a box of chocolates.
After a strong 2023 playoff run with the Miami Heat, Vincent caught the eye of the Lakers. Rob Pelinka and company watched the former Heat guard average 12.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game, with shooting splits of 40-38-88. The defensive intensity which aided Miami's run to the NBA Finals had to be seen as an attractive addition for Los Angeles.
Vincent was rewarded with a three-year, $33 million deal by the Lakers in the 2023 offseason. Approaching the summer of 2025, that was a decision the front office regrets by now.
Vincent's inconsistencies plagued the Lakers
2023-24 was an injury-riddled campaign for Vincent. Despite the lackluster production, the Lakers guard should be afforded a relative pass for that regular season and postseason.
The 2024-25 season was an absolute rollercoaster when it came to the Vincent experience. After a slow start, the veteran point guard had quietly started to turn heads and vindicate the Lakers for handing him his current contract.
Unfortunately for JJ Redick, the streaky shooter chosen the worst of times to cool off and become a liability. Ahead of the postseason, Vincent's offensive production was quickly fading. In the month of April, the bench guard had averaged 4.5 points and 1.2 assists per game, while posting a horrible 32.3 field goal percentage and an equally tragic 25.9 3-point percentage clip.
With that kind of lousy production leading up to the NBA Playoffs, Vincent quickly proved himself unreliable against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The sixth-year pro was even one of the players deemed untrustworthy by JJ Redick in the second half of the Game 4 embarrassment.
Vincent finished the 2025 NBA Playoffs averaging 2.8 points, 1.0 rebound, and 1.0 assist per game, connecting on 35.7 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. It is remarkable that those shooting percentages are actually improvements from his regular-season stretch in April.
With the Lakers yearning for depth, shooting, and defense off the bench, it should not come as a big surprise to see Vincent's contract dangled in trade rumors with the hope of an upgrade. The backup point guard should theoretically have the skill set and ability to satisfy those needs. However, the reality has not matched theory in this regard.