Lakers players face the most pressure entering 2024-25 NBA season | News, scores, highlights, stats & rumors

A knee injury limited Gabe Vincent to just 16 appearances (including the playoffs) last season, essentially giving him a free pass for his first round with the Lakers.

That same courtesy won’t be extended this season, and hopefully it will be spent without the injury concerns that derailed last season. The focus now will be on whether or not Vincent can play basketball at a high level, and he has more to prove in that regard than you might think.

He spent four seasons with the Miami Heat as a bargain energizer who impacted the game with his hustle and dogged defense. The offensive end, however, was largely a grind, as he could only manage a 39.9/33.9/85.2 shooting slash and wasn’t the most productive playmaker (2.3 assists against 1.2 turnovers).

However, he was all-caps GREAT during Miami’s run to the 2023 NBA Finals, convincing the Lakers to reward him with a three-year, $33 million contract shortly thereafter. If he can’t reach that level again, it’s possible this could be the first and last big payday of his career. He’s 28 years old, so this should be the heart of his prime. If his peak doesn’t turn out as high as he’d hoped, the Lakers could come to regret that investment and look for a way out.