Lakers News: Wenyen Gabriel Looking To Build Off Strong Performance In Loss To Mavericks
Wenyen Gabriel, Lakers
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

While the 2022-23 season has been a rollercoaster ride for the Los Angeles Lakers, there have been some consistent bright spots on the team.

Among them is the play of Wenyen Gabriel, who went from an afterthought to a key cog in the Lakers’ rotation. Gabriel’s size, energy and motor have been a saving grace for Los Angeles, who has needed him on the floor to help stabilize lineups and even go on pivotal runs.

Against the Dallas Mavericks, Gabriel was his usual self on both ends of the floor and even came up with clutch baskets near the end of regulation and in the overtime periods. Gabriel would finish the night with 14 points and seven rebounds, playing 33 minutes total. When discussing playing in the closing lineup, Gabriel chalked it up to finding ways to contribute and is looking forward to building on his performance.

“Yeah, my name was called tonight and I always come prepared to play defense with an edge like I do. Try to find my niche in the offense and my teammates were finding me today and I was able to help the team to give us a chance to win. So hopefully I can continue to build off of that as well.”

As far as what he believes the Lakers could’ve done differently to win, Gabriel noted getting the ball out of Luka Doncic’s hands earlier in possessions. “I think we made some good adjustments defensively with the way we were guarding Luka. Maybe we could have gotten the ball out of his hands late in the game. If we got it out of his hands earlier, maybe that’s one thing we could’ve done differently.”

Darvin Ham would seem to agree with Gabriel’s assessment as the head coach regretted not blitzing Doncic at the end of regulation. Regardless of the tactical miscue, the Lakers had opportunities to close out the game but still fell short.

There aren’t many moral victories to be had this time of the year for the Lakers, but Gabriel’s strong play as of late at least provides some hope that the team will be able to compete with the best once their injury luck turns around. For now, Gabriel and the team must turn their attention to another tough game on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Wenyen Gabriel’s contract guaranteed for rest of 2022-23 season

Gabriel was on the roster bubble heading into the 2022-23 season, but he has transformed himself into a legitimate rotation piece. As such, the Lakers reportedly did the correct thing by guaranteeing his contract for the rest of the year.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

You May Also Like

Lakers News: Grizzlies Guard Mike Conley Impressed With ‘Fast’ Lakers Team

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of their rebuilding process, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t turn some heads along the way….

Lakers Highlights: LeBron James Leads Massive Third Quarter Run To Pull Away From Magic

LeBron James has been operating at an unbelievable level since returning from his brief stint in the health and safety protocols…

Lakers News: Anthony Davis Not Surprised He Wasn’t Selected For All-Star Game

On Thursday, the NBA revealed the reserves for the 2022 All-Star Game that is being played in Cleveland on Feb. 20…

DeAndre Jordan’s Flagrant Foul On Nick Young Downgraded

On Tuesday night’s 116-103 victory against the Clippers, two flagrant fouls were…