The Los Angeles Lakers were hoping for Gabe Vincent to be a big part of their rotation during the 2023-24 season after they signed him to a three-year contract.
Vincent was coming off a strong season with the Miami Heat and was projected to be the primary backup point guard. However, a knee injury forced him to miss most of the regular season and resulted in a disappointing first year in Los Angeles.
Vincent did manage to appear in 11 games and played sparingly in the postseason, showing great defensive awareness though his offense wasn’t where it needed to be. Despite that, there is optimism that Vincent will be able to contribute more in during the 2024-25 season as he said he is feeling healthy.
Vincent didn’t get many opportunities to play alongside LeBron James during the season, but still enjoyed being his teammate, via Fox 40 News:
“It was great,” Vincent said. “He’s a great player, great person. He leads by example especially, so just being near the sun you’re gonna get hot so you’re definitely gonna get better being around greatness.”
When asked what goes into being a good teammate for James, Vincent cited preparation as being key:
“I think just being prepared yourself. And just trying to do your homework and try be your best version because he’s gonna try and get your best version out of you as well.”
Lastly, Vincent, like the rest of the basketball world, still finds it astounding how James manages to do what he does at his age:
“Yeah, I think at times he’ll surprise all of us with a random dunk down the 45 like days of old. It’s a flashback, he looks 25 again every now and then. It’s crazy, it’s amazing what he’s been able to do with his body for so long.”
James is truly a freak of nature that shouldn’t be able to do some of the things he does on the court, but it goes to show that the Lakers may not be that far off from contending. If players like Vincent can stay on the floor, then James and Los Angeles should confident about their chances.
Lakers’ LeBron James recognizes he doesn’t have many big games left in career
LeBron James played one of the best games of his life for Team USA as he recorded a triple-double in a massive comeback against Serbia in the semifinals. Afterwards, James acknowledged that he doesn’t have many big games left in his career.
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