Gabe Vincent gets worrisome injury update for Cavs clash
12/31/2024 01:27 AM
With the Los Angeles Lakers trading D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets, they lost some of their backcourt depth. But in recent weeks, the consistent, strong play from Austin Reaves, Max Christie and Gabe Vincent made the Lakers more amenable to trading Russell. But in the coming days, the Lakers are hoping that they won’t lose Gabe Vincent to an extended period of time due to injury.
Gabe Vincent suffered an oblique injury after a hard fall during the Lakers’ win against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. He left the game early for the locker room and did not return. Ahead of the team’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on New Year’s Eve, Vincent was officially listed as questionable.
With no Russell, Vincent’s potential absence would put a strain on the Lakers’ backcourt rotation. Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers’ 2024 first round pick, is currently sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Vincent’s inclusion on the injury report as questionable doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t be able to play against the Cavs. A definitive update likely won’t come until a few hours before tip-off.
Help could be immediately available though for the Lakers’ backcourt against the Cavs. While the main acquisition in the trade with the Nets was Dorian Finney-Smith, the Lakers also managed to grab Shake Milton in the deal as well.
Milton may not be as widely known to Lakers’ fans, but he is capable backup point guard and can help the Lakers should Vincent’s injury cause him to be sidelined.
Milton appeared in 27 games for the Nets, including one start, at a little over 18 minutes per game. He was averaging 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists with splits of 46.5 percent shooting from the field, 38.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 75.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line. In his final game with the Nets, he put up 16 points and 12 assists. If all goes well, both Finney-Smith and Milton should make their Lakers’ debut against the Cavs.
With Vincent, he had shaken off a slow start to the 2024-25 season and had been playing much more consistently in recent games. In 31 games this season, Vincent had been averaging 4.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists with splits of 37.3 percent shooting from the field, 33 percent shooting from the three-point line and only 50 percent from the free-throw line.
This is Vincent’s second season with the Lakers after signing as a free agent in the 2023 offseason. He had been coming off a strong stint as the Miami Heat’s starting point guard during their run to the 2023 NBA Finals. However, the former UC Santa Barbara standout suffered a knee injury that limited him to only 11 games.
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