Lakers Guard Gabe Vincent Receives Promising Injury Update for Mavericks Matchup

Will the veteran point guard return after a week-long absence against Dallas?

Dec 13, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) brings the ball up court and is defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

After being surprisingly healthy to start the 2024-25 NBA season, Los Angeles Lakers bench point guard Gabe Vincent has been on the shelf since the club's 132-122 victory against the Sacramento Kings on December 28 with a left oblique strain.

Now, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the 6-foot-3 University of California at Santa Barbara product has seen his status upgraded from questionable to probable to suit up for L.A.'s Tuesday night tilt against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Lakers say Gabe Vincent (left oblique strain) has been upgraded to probable for tonight’s game in Dallas.

Cam Reddish (low back soreness) has been downgraded to doubtful.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 7, 2025

Sadly, reserve swingman Cam Reddish has seen his status downgraded from questionable to doubtful due to a sore low back.

For Vincent, being ruled as probable does not guarantee that he will play, by any means, but it's certainly a positive indicator of where his health is headed.

Across 31 healthy bouts (five starts) this year, Vincent has been averaging 4.3 points on a rough shooting line of .373/.330/.500, plus 1.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 steals a night. He's more valued as a point-of-attack defender than he is as a scorer. The 28-year-old has basically completely fallen apart as a scorer since inking a three-season, $33 million contract in free agency with Los Angeles in the summer of 2023.

Frankly, given the rising Lakers' win-now needs (20-time All-NBA superstar power forward LeBron James is the oldest active player in the league; while nine-time All-Star center Anthony Davis is 31 but with plenty of injury mileage), Vincent might be more of a trade chip than anything else this season. Yes, he is the club's second-best available perimeter defender behind new acquisition Dorian Finney-Smith, and its best point-of-attack defender. But his offensive limitations make him a massive liability on that end of the court whenever he suits up.

The 20-15 Lakers have won seven of their last 10 bouts and are currently 0.5 games behind the 20-15 Denver Nuggets for the No. 4 seed and homecourt advantage in the loaded Western Conference. Given Denver's depth issues, Los Angeles has a legitimate shot at overtaking the 2023 champs sooner rather than later in the West standings.

Vincent is not a big part of L.A.'s success, although clearly head coach JJ Redick values what he brings defensively. It might behoove the Lakers to consider finding a way to offload his money and throw away a second round draft pick to bring in better win-now talent.

More Lakers: Former Los Angeles Stars Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight Howard Reignite Longstanding Feud