Gabe Vincent’s tenure with the Lakers has been defined by the amount of time he’s not been available rather than anything he’s done on the court.
His first season in LA saw him play just 11 games while
dealing with a knee injury. While he bounced back to play 72 games in his second season, a combination of ankle and back injuries has limited him to just 14 games this season.
Across the three seasons so far, Vincent has played in 97 games and missed 99. There’s a good chance that latter number reaches 100 as the veteran point guard is nearing a return but is not yet healthy.
Ahead of Friday’s game against the Grizzlies, head coach JJ Redick provided an update on Vincent, noting that there was a possibility of him being a modified participant in Saturday’s practice but that he would not play on Sunday.
“We’re hoping he’s available for one of the games on the road trip,” Redick said. “But again, we’ve got to get him exposure to live play and with the travel day on Monday, that’s going to be tough.”
After playing Memphis again on Sunday, the Lakers will have a two-game road trip to New Orleans and San Antonio on Tuesday and Wednesday. Given that is a back-to-back and with the travel day on Monday that Redick noted would complicate things, it seems unlikely Vincent returns for either of those contests.
Once the Lakers return home, they’ll have a bit more time to practice with a home game against the Bucks on Friday before a road trip to Sacramento on the next Monday. That probably feels like a more realistic window for Vincent to make his return, assuming the team wants him to get practice time before returning.
The Lakers certainly could use him as the number of players available to even dribble the ball upcourt right now is low. But it’s also pretty hard to rely on him for much of anything given how much he’s struggled to get on the floor throughout his Lakers tenure, too.
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