In the offseason, the Lakers acquired Gabe Vincent to supplement Dennis Schroder’s play and replicate some of his success from his time as a starter for the Miami Heat in the playoffs, when they reached the finals.
Things have turned out differently. He was out for 23 games due to knee inflammation and pain, returned last week for 13 minutes against the Bulls, and then the pain and swelling came back. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, this is what ultimately prompted Vincent to undergo knee surgery. On ESPN, Dave McMenamin heard the phrase “clean up” used to describe this.
After a 6- to 8-week absence, Vincent is expected to make his return in February, either before or around the All-Star break.
In his limited Lakers action this season due to a knee injury, Vincent averaged 5.4 points, 3.0 assists, and 11.8% from beyond the arc.
Without Vincent, the Lakers’ point defense has been lacking this season. After benching D’Angelo Russell and starting LeBron James alongside Anthony Davis, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Cam Reddish, coach Darvin Ham has been going without a point guard for the past few games. Because of how poorly that lineup has performed, the Lakers are frantically trying to figure out what rotations work.
