ABC88 News – On October 16, 29-year-old Gabe Vincent delivered one of the brightest stories of the Lakers’ preseason. The veteran guard has scored in double digits in all three exhibition games, and his latest explosion against the Dallas Mavericks proved he’s finding his rhythm again.
Vincent dropped 22 points and 3 assists, shooting 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, as the Lakers defeated Dallas. He completely outplayed Mavs’ backup guard D’Angelo Russell, who finished with only 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers.
The first quarter was all Vincent. He opened the game raining triples—five of them in less than five minutes. Assisted twice by Jarred Vanderbilt and once by Jaxson Hayes, Vincent was simply unstoppable. He even drew a foul on a three-point attempt and calmly sank all three free throws.
By the 7:51 mark of the first quarter, Vincent had already scored 18 points, powering the Lakers to a 20–8 run.
After the game, Vincent shared the motivation behind his early burst:
“Someone from their bench said I wouldn’t make another shot,” Vincent laughed. “I just wanted to let them know I heard that.”
Although his hot hand cooled later, his 22 points still led the team. The Lakers were playing the second night of a back-to-back, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis resting, while Dallas also sat Luka Dončić and Deandre Ayton.
His teammate Jaxson Hayes praised Vincent’s work ethic:
“He’s been great in camp. You saw what he did tonight—his confidence and shooting are there. I love playing with a guard like him.”
Vincent explained that he wanted to be more aggressive knowing the team was short-handed:
“We were missing a few guys, so I just tried to set the tone early. My teammates did a great job finding me.”
This breakout wasn’t a fluke. Vincent had already put up solid numbers in his first two preseason games—16 points and 5 assists against the Warriors on October 6 (3-of-7 from deep) and 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in their rematch on October 13 (2-of-4 from three).
Across three games, Vincent has totaled 51 points and 10 assists, shooting an impressive 52.4% (11-of-21) from three-point range—averaging 17.0 points and 3.3 assists per game.
For the Lakers, Vincent’s resurgence couldn’t come at a better time. With LeBron James expected to miss parts of the early season, his shooting and leadership could be key to a strong start.
The Lakers signed Vincent to a 3-year, $33 million deal in 2023, hoping he could bring the same spark that helped the Miami Heat reach the NBA Finals. But injuries derailed his first season in L.A., and when he finally returned, he struggled—averaging only 6.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 40% from the field and 35.3% from three.
Now entering the final year of his contract, Vincent is fighting not just for his role in the rotation—but for his next NBA paycheck.
If his preseason form is any indication, Gabe Vincent might be writing his comeback story in Los Angeles.
