Lakers Face Uncomfortable Reality as Gabe Vincent Fails to Step Up With Reaves Out

The Los Angeles Lakers have reached a point many fans hoped they’d never get to — a moment of uncomfortable honesty about Gabe Vincent.

With Austin Reaves out due to a calf strain, the Lakers need reliable guard play more than ever. This should be Vincent’s opportunity to stabilize the rotation, knock down open shots, and justify his contract. Instead, it has only amplified a growing concern: this version of Gabe Vincent is not the one Los Angeles thought it signed.

😬 The Problem No One Wants to Admit

Vincent arrived in LA with real momentum. He was a starter on the Miami Heat’s 2023 NBA Finals team, known for his confidence, shot-making, and composure in big moments.

That player has never shown up in purple and gold.

Three seasons in, the evidence is overwhelming. This isn’t a slump. It isn’t bad luck. It’s a trend.

🧠 Lakers’ Backcourt Leaves JJ Redick With No Good Choices

The Lakers’ guard rotation is stretched thin:

• Luka Dončić will log heavy minutes — but overuse isn’t sustainable
• Marcus Smart is being carefully managed due to injury history
• Bronny James hasn’t shown he’s ready
• Dalton Knecht only worsens defensive issues

That leaves Gabe Vincent as the default option — a scenario that has repeatedly ended poorly.

Head coach JJ Redick doesn’t have the luxury of creativity here. He has to play Vincent. And Lakers fans already know how this movie ends.

📉 The Numbers Tell a Brutal Story

This season, Vincent is averaging:

• 4.7 points
• 1.5 assists
• 0.9 rebounds
• 21.7 minutes per game

Those numbers barely move when zooming out. Across 96 games with the Lakers, Vincent averages:

• 5.8 points
• 1.4 assists
• 1.2 rebounds
• 38.5% FG
• 33.6% from three

Advanced metrics paint an even harsher picture:

• -1.2 VORP during his Lakers tenure
• 0.030 win shares per 48 minutes

That’s below replacement level production — not just underwhelming, but actively harmful.

💰 A Contract That Became an Albatross

Vincent is making $11.5 million in the final year of his three-year deal.

In hindsight, it’s clear: the Lakers overpaid.

Los Angeles believed they were signing a high-IQ guard entering his prime — someone who could replicate his 12.7 PPG, 3.5 APG, 37.8% three-point shooting from the 2023 playoffs over a full season.

That projection never materialized.

⚠️ Why Vincent Simply Doesn’t Fit This Team

The Lakers’ offense runs through Luka Dončić, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. That means role players must thrive off the ball.

Vincent hasn’t.

He struggles to:

• Consistently knock down open threes
• Impact the game without the ball
• Provide dependable secondary playmaking

And the Lakers aren’t taking the ball out of their stars’ hands to force-feed a struggling role player.

🔄 Trade Deadline Pressure Is Mounting

With the February 5 trade deadline approaching, this has become one of the clearest areas for improvement.

Reaves’ absence has only exposed the truth faster:

The Lakers cannot rely on Gabe Vincent for an expanded role.

The front office is already exploring ways to move his contract, and performances like these only reinforce that urgency.

🎯 The Harsh Truth Lakers Fans Already Know

With Reaves sidelined, the Lakers don’t need Vincent to be a star.

They need him to:

• Hit open shots
• Make the extra pass
• Hold his own defensively

Sadly, even that feels like too much to ask.

This stretch without Reaves could be rough — not because of injuries alone, but because it forces the Lakers to lean on a player who has shown, time and again, that he cannot be trusted when it matters.