The Lakers have continued to speak positively about Gabe Vincent’s rehab at every opportunity despite the fact the guard has not played since December.
He was recently cleared for non-contact work and according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, if his rehab continues to progress positively, he could join the team during their current six-game road trip.
Vincent’s return has largely been unquestioned, as nearly all reports and updates have indicated he intended and looked likely to be back with the team this season. He has been on the practice court in recent weeks, primarily doing non-contact work with conditioning being one of the biggest final hurdles to clear.
Depending on when he returns, he could still hit the late March timeline discussed previously and be available for the Lakers playoff push. It’s been a long road of recovery for Vincent, who underwent surgery back in December on his knee. The constant updates of all good news, though, have shown that rehab has gone according to plan, which is a small positive in an overall frustrating situation for everyone involved.
Vincent’s return would be a welcomed addition. He provides the Lakers with an experienced veteran who could potentially give the team another scoring guard and help with their bench woes.
How valuable he can be and how much run he’ll give is hard to predict.
In just five games this year, he managed 5.7 points per game and shot 1.8% from 3-point range. That sample size from so few games many months ago is nearly irrelevant, but it’s the only data we have of Vincent in a Lakers uniform.
The absence of Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt is one of the reasons the team still discusses injuries as a reason for their struggles. They might not be the best players on the roster or stars, but the team was built with them in mind and with them gone, no one has really taken on their roles and excelled.
For now, the news on Vincent is positive and it seems his return is a matter of when, not if.
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