Lakers 3 goals: Gabe Vincent needs to provide floor spacing
Earlier this summer, the Los Angeles Lakers added Gabe Vincent to their roster on a three-year $33 million deal. Vincent is coming off an NBA Finals run with the Miami Heat, where he enjoyed a breakout run, flashing upside as a starting guard and three-point sniper.
In the latest edition of LeBron Wire’s “three things” series, we will look at some areas that Vincent may wish to improve heading into the season or throughout the year. The Lakers have been busy building a championship-caliber roster this summer, and Vincent projects to be an important part of the puzzle.
Vincent has spent the first four years of his NBA career playing under Erik Spoelstra, so he may need time to adapt to a new system and his new teammates. Nevertheless, the versatile guard could thrive alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the coming months.
Here are three things Vincent could look to implement during his debut season with the Lakers:
Improve his three-point shooting
Floor spacing is paramount when you have LeBron and Davis in your rotation. Vincent flashed upside as a perimeter threat during Miami’s postseason run, yet throughout his career, he’s been a below-average shooter from deep. Vincent will likely have spent the summer working on his shooting form and improving his three-point game, knowing his role with the Lakers will be largely perimeter-based.
Vincent is a career 33.9% 3-point shooter and was true to form during his 68 regular-season appearances for the Heat. Vincent will need to boost that number closer to the 38% mark if he wants to positively impact his new team.
Fight for a starting role
Vincent has never been a full-time starting guard. The California native has often stepped into the role when required but has never done enough to earn the role full-time. According to a July 13 report by The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Vincent could potentially earn a starting role heading into the new season, with “open competition” heading into training camp.
Vincent is unlikely to dislodge D’Angelo Russell at training camp. However, if he can provide consistent performances off the bench and gel with the starting lineup, Vincent could gatecrash the starting lineup before the playoffs begin.
Add more assists to his game
With so much talent on the Lakers roster this year, Vincent will have plenty of opportunities to improve his assist ratio. Making the most of the talent around him will be integral to a successful first season for the former Heat guard.
Last season, Vincent averaged 31.6 passes per contest, with 4.9 of them being potential assists – if he can increase his passes, and potential assists from those passes next season, he may find his minutes increasing as a result.
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