Bristol, CT - November 18, 2013 - Studio A: Commentator Marc Stein on the set of NBA Coast to Coast (Photo by Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images)
As they scrape and battle to avoid the Western Conference’s play-in bracket, the 37-32 Los Angeles Lakers appear to be losing three injured role players for the rest of the season. It is a less-than-optimal development. According to CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter, sources have informed him that combo forward Jarred Vanderbilt, power forward/center Christian Wood, and point guard Gabe Vincent are all slated to be permanently benched.
Vincent hasn’t really made much of a LA player. Only five competitions have been his limit because of a left knee effusion ailment that finally needed surgery. Using their mid-level exception, the Lakers signed him to a three-year, $33 million contract this summer. This appears to be a clear contrast to a previous FanDuel TV broadcast by Shams Charania. It was only last week, Charania reported on “Run It Back,” that Vincent appeared to be making progress toward recovery.
In those five games this season, Vincent averaged just 5.4 points on.375/.118/.500 shooting splits, three assists, 1.2 steals, and one rebound. His impressive averages of 12.7 points on.402/.378/.882 shooting splits, 3.5 assists, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.9 steals during the Miami Heat’s 2023 NBA Finals run were noticeably much below these stats. Though Spencer Dinwiddie was acquired via a buyout, Vincent was essentially supplanted in LA’s starting lineup as the team’s best point-of-attack perimeter defender off the bench.
