Even Gabe Vincent, who had emerged as a reliable 3-and-D player for the Los Angeles Lakers, sprained his left ankle. He’s reportedly set to miss two to four weeks. The freak injury happened during the third quarter of the Lakers’ thrilling 127-120 comeback victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Vincent was brought in to be a high-level backup for LeBron James as he deals with sciatica in his lower back. On Monday, Vincent got an MRI to see what happened.
Vincent, 29 years old, won his job by wowing everyone during the preseason. During that stretch, he averaged an impressive 16.3 points per game while shooting 47.4%. He had an exciting tournament, averaging 3.0 assists and 1.0 rebounds in four games. His shooting was remarkable, as he connected on an extremely high 55.6% on his long range attempts. Vincent’s injury creates quite a pickle for the Lakers. They will need to weather the storm of the early portion of the season with these issues.
Vincent arrived at Crypto.com Arena on crutches to play Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers. This unfortunately illustrates the desperate nature of his condition. Continuing issues for a shorthanded Lakers team with injuries to four key players, they at the moment have only seven full-time players set and three on two-way contracts. For the circumstances, Austin Reaves really stepped up to the plate. He scored an amazing career high of 51 points in that game vs. Sacramento.
“We’re not expecting Austin to go out and score 51 again,” – JJ Redick
Redick noted that the players must play to their abilities through this difficult stretch.
“I don’t expect anybody to do more than they’re capable of doing. What we challenged the guys on before the game was playing with an edge,” – JJ Redick
The Lakers are making a run this season without Vincent. They will rely on their few stars in order to not fall victim to the downward spiral of constant rebuilding. The team wish Vincent a quick recovery, as his leadership on the field has been essential to their early season success.
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