The Los Angeles Lakers have announced that point guard Gabe Vincent is dealing with lower back tightness, which kept him out of Sunday’s preseason contest against the Milwaukee Bucks. Likewise, rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino has a right knee contusion, which also forced him out against Milwaukee.
Vincent is in line to be the Lakers’ backup point guard and has played well during the preseason so far, averaging 10.3 and 2.7 assists while knocking down 42.1% from 3-point range. Hood-Schifino, the Lakers’ first-round pick this season, has struggled shooting the ball in his first NBA action, but has shown off other facets of his game, averaging 4.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds in four games.
Neither injury seems to be serious though their status for the Lakers’ preseason finale on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns is unclear. Nonetheless, both should be ready to go when the Lakers head to Denver on opening night to take on the Nuggets.
The most important thing in the preseason is to make it through healthy with no serious injuries hitting the team and the Lakers have done that for the most part. The only concern at the moment involves defensive forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who is dealing with a heel issue and has not played since the first preseason game.
While Hood-Schifino isn’t expected to be part of the regular rotation for a Lakers team with eyes on another NBA Championship, Vincent was brought in for his shooting, defense and toughness. He delivered for the Miami Heat during their run to the NBA Finals last season, knocking down nearly 38% of his 3-pointers in the postseason and he has fit right in with the purple and gold.
Hood-Schifino is a bit more of a project and will need some developmental time before he is ready to contribute for the Lakers. Even still, with his size and poise as a point guard, the Lakers believe he is someone who will be important for the team in the coming years.
D’Angelo Russell praises Lakers teammate Gabe Vincent as a ‘professional’
Vincent has fit in perfectly with the Lakers so far and is drawing the praise of his teammates. His fellow point guard D’Angelo Russell called Vincent a professional when describing what he adds to the team.
“Confidence. Professional. Killer. He’s just a professional, man,” Russell said of Vincent. “When you have a good group of professionals out there, it’s easy to play with guys like that. You see why he’s doing what he’s doing. He’s coming from a great system and organization in Miami, so for us to have him here just adds to our group.”
Vincent is one of the biggest additions the Lakers made this offseason and so far it feels like the right one.
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