NBA
Lakers’ Gabe Vincent has a ‘legitimate chance’ to take the starting PG role from D’Angelo Russell this offseason
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated14 Jul 2023
Most media members around the NBA would agree that the Lakers have made the best moves this offseason. They resigned Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell. Additionally, they acquired former Miami PG Gabe Vincent via free agency. According to league sources, Vincent has a “legitimate chance” to take the starting PG role from Russell this offseason.
Vincent just finished his fourth season in the NBA after going undrafted in 2018. He played his college ball at UC Santa Barbara and got his start as a camp invite with the Sacramento Kings. In 2019, he signed a two-way contract with the Heat. Two years later, Vincent signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract.
After his stellar play in Miami’s 2023 postseason run, Vincent earned himself a payday in free agency. He signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the LA Lakers this offseason.
Gabe Vincent has a ‘legitimate chance’ to steal D’Angelo Russell’s starting job, per @jovanbuha
“…this is an open competition and Vincent has a legitimate chance to steal the starting job. He is the better defender than Russell and a more natural off-ball fit as a lower-usage… pic.twitter.com/O8Kmf0atVM
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 13, 2023
Will Gabe Vincent earn the starting PG role over D’Angelo Russell for the Lakers in 2023-24?
According to Jovan Budha of The Athletic, Gabe Vincent could be the Lakers’ starting PG next season. In the 2023 postseason, Vincent became the starting PG for the Miami Heat. He played in 68 of their regular season games and made 34 starts.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra made him the starter towards the end of the season to give the offense a boost. Veteran PG Kyle Lowry was more efficient coming off the bench for the Heat. Vincent was now playing in an expanded role and was playing the best basketball of his career.
“They have size, athleticism, & leadership. I can bring defense & make my open shots while impacting winning with any group on the floor”
– Gabe Vincent on what intrigued him with the Lakers
(via – ESPNLA) pic.twitter.com/VdlZR8Yz9r
— ⁶ (@SpeakContext) July 6, 2023
He averaged a career-high (12.7) points per game in the 2023 postseason. If he can ride that wave of momentum from his last season in Miami, the starting PG role could be his. That’s in large part to D’Angelo Russell severely underperforming in the 2023 postseason.
His three-point efficiency was horrendous and he didn’t play to the standard they needed him to. Gabe Vincent offers the consistent three-point shooting that Russell cannot. On top of that, Vincent is a scrappy player and loves to guard the full 94 feet on defense. Russell was an average defender at best for the Lakers. All those signs point to Vincent being their starting PG in 2023-24.
