The Los Angeles Lakers haven't had Gabe Vincent in the lineup since Dec. 20 due to knee surgery, but the veteran guard is set to return to the lineup as early as this Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The Lakers are on fire as they head down the final stretch of the regular season, winners of five straight games to get to 41-32 on the season. While they're still the No. 9 seed and in the West play-in picture, LA is only 2.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 6 seed, 2.0 games behind the Phoenix Suns for the No. 7 seed and 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for the No. 8 seed.
With Vincent set to return, the hope is he brings a veteran playoff presence who can add a bit more shooting to the rotation. The 27-year-old will need to be eased back into playing time, but he has plenty of experience making deep playoff runs after his time with the Miami Heat.
Gabe Vincent's disastrous Lakers tenure so far
Gabe Vincent made his name as one of the many Heat undrafted players to make an impact for them in recent seasons. After helping Miami get to the NBA Finals last year, he cashed in with a three-year, $33 million contract in free agency.
However, things haven't gone as planned.
Before undergoing surgery in December, Vincent was a total disaster for the Lakers. He appeared in four games to start the season and was awful, shooting just 7.1% from 3-point range before going on the shelf for nearly two months. The guard returned on Dec. 20 and played 14 minutes in an ugly loss the Chicago Bulls but hasn't played since due to the knee surgery.
It's clear the knee was a problem from the start of the season and hindered Vincent's play in those first few games. Now that he has had surgery and spent three months on the sidelines, the Lakers are hoping he's 100% healthy and can make an impact similar to his Miami days.
Lakers' schedule to finish season
The Lakers have nine games left in the regular season and will try to make one last push for the No. 6 seed. It will be tough to jump three teams like they need to in such a short amount of time, but the team is playing very well right now and is hoping to continue to ride the wave.
Gabe Vincent is set to miss at least one more game when LA visits the Indiana Pacers on Friday. But based on this report, the guard is slated to return Sunday against the Nets as long as there's no setback.
After that, the Lakers have two more games against bottom-feeders in the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards as part of their road trip out East. They then return home to face the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors before road games against the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans to finish out the regular season.
Follow Us
Subscribe