Gabe Vincent made his mark in the NBA in the 2022-23 postseason for the Miami Heat. After a successful season with Heat, the guard joined LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on July 6th after signing a $33,000,000 three-year deal with the team. Just 8 days after signing for Lakers, Vincent was on JJ Reddick’s ‘The Old Man and the Three’ podcast where he talked about his experience with the Heat, his relationship with Jimmy Butler, and his new contract with the Lakers.
Advertisement
He is not only an excellent fit for the guard’s role for the Lakers, but also an excellent defender which he showed during the Heat’s finals run. His emergence came at a perfect time for the Heat, during the postseason. During the last postseason, he started in all 22 games for the Heat and had an immense impact on both ends of the floor. He averaged 12.7 points and dropped 3.5 dimes. He also shot 37.8% from the three-point line.
Gabe Vincent opens up about his relationship with Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler
Despite going undrafted in 2018, the 27-year guard made waves for his presence on both ends of the floor for the Heat last season, when they needed someone to take pressure off of their star player. Erik Spoelstra got Vincent into the starting lineup for the entire postseason and he didn’t disappoint his coach.
The new addition to the Lakers roster opened up about his decision to join the Lakers instead of either staying with the Heat or choosing any other team in the league. Speaking to JJ Reddick on Reddick’s podcast, the former Miami Heat player explained in detail about his relationship with Jimmy Butler. Apart from adding that Jimmy was a fierce leader, he added that the star player liked to push his teammates to do better. Vincent said,
“I think he is one of the ultimate competitors I have ever been around like the way this guy loves to win is outrageous. As a leader, I think he tries his best way to push people and sometimes it doesn’t look pretty.”
Vincent also added that, due to the hunger for winning, sometimes it is hard to keep up with Butler’s demands. He also added that the Miami Heat star has his own ethic as a basketball player and tries to make good plays. Moreover, according to Gabe, it pricks Jimmy, when the media criticizes him for his plays.
Gabe could start for the Lakers ahead of D’Angelo Russell
In the beginning, it seemed as if Gabe Vincent’s addition to the team was just an in-depth addition. However, there is a chance that the narrative might change in the near future. Previously, there were speculations that D’Angelo Russell would be in the starting lineup. However, according to some reports, there is a strong chance that Gabe will start in place of Russell. Jovan Buha, from The Athletic, reported,
“This is an open competition, and Vincent has a legitimate chance to steal the starting job. He is the better defender than Russell and a more natural off-ball fit as a lower-usage catch-and-shoot threat. Unlike Russell, Vincent’s defensive chops prevent him from being played off the floor in the postseason, as he showed during the Heat’s Finals run.”
Moreover, with his addition to the Lakers and after his postseason run, it was anticipated that he would have a significant role to play in Los Angeles.
