The Los Angeles Lakers’ big signing of the offseason was point guard Gabe Vincent, who they inked to a three-year, $33 million contract using their mid-level exception.
Vincent was coming off a breakout postseason with the Miami Heat and the hope was that he would be able to replace Dennis Schroder as the first guard off the bench that can defend and hit timely shots while also creating open looks for others.
So far though, the Lakers have not been able to see that come to fruition due to injuries. Vincent missed most of the preseason with a back issue and although he was ready for Opening Night, he only was able to play in the first four games of the season before injuring his knee.
Vincent then missed the next 23 games with left knee effusion before being able to return last week in the Lakers’ loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Unfortunately though, that return was short-lived as Vincent’s knee swelled back up after the game and he wound up back on the shelf for the rest of the Lakers’ road trip.
Now, reports indicate that Vincent will be undergoing surgery on his left knee that will keep him out for a couple of months, via Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his ailing left knee as soon as Tuesday and will miss 6-to-8 weeks, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. https://t.co/iTAIwMjeZq
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 25, 2023
While this is unfortunate news for Vincent and the Lakers, the hope is that the surgery will fix the issue and the 27-year-old will be back on the court before you know it.
If Vincent were to miss two months then that would mean he’s back around the beginning of March, just in time for the stretch run of the regular season and start of the postseason.
In the meantime, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves will continue to get heavy guard minutes while guys like Cam Reddish and Max Christie could see an uptick in playing time as well.
Gabe Vincent believes Lakers need to play harder
Vincent’s return to action didn’t exactly go well as he was limited to 14 minutes of action and the Lakers lost easily to the Bulls. The Lakers have been struggling as a whole recently and Vincent said he believes the team needs to play harder in order to get out of this slump.
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