4 Los Angeles Lakers players facing make-or-break seasons in 2024-25

Gabe Vincent

The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2023 offseason with the intention of making a splash at an affordable price. Los Angeles was clearly watching the 2023 NBA Playoffs, as the decision was made to bring in Miami Heat standout Gabe Vincent on a three-year, $33 million deal.

Unfortunately, Vincent appeared in just 11 games during his first season in Los Angeles and inevitably struggled to develop any kind of a rhythm by the time the postseason rolled around.

It's easy to understand why Los Angeles was interested in Vincent as its marquee free agency acquisition. In 2022-23, he averaged 9.2 points and 2.5 assists in 25.9 minutes per game while providing quality defense to Erik Spoelstra and the Heat.

More importantly, he was one of the breakout stars of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, scoring at least 20 points on five different occasions.

Vincent scored 22 points to help close out the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and tallied 20 in a Game 1 win over the New York Knicks in round two—followed by 21 in Game 2. He posted 29 points in a Game 3 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and averaged 15.8 points per game for the series.

With 19 points in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals and 23 in Game 2, Vincent seemed to have established himself as a big game player on the rise—on both ends of the floor.

The Lakers desperately need the 28-year-old to rediscover that form in 2024-25 or a trade could be a necessary move to improve a thin second unit. It's harsh, but it's the inevitable reality of building around superstars in their extended prime.