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As he reflected on coping with a left knee injury that sidelined him for all but 11 games last season,\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent<\/strong>\u00a0saw one of the key people who offered plenty of support.<\/p>\n Before the\u00a0Lakers\u2019\u00a0preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, LeBron James politely interrupted Vincent\u2019s interview to shake his hand and wish him well.<\/p>\n Though the Lakers\u2019 playoff ceiling mostly hinges on a healthy and effective James and Anthony Davis,\u00a0Vincent\u2019s\u00a0availability also could prove critical to the team\u2019s roster depth.<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s like one of those guys where you’re like, ‘Man, I’d love to have 10 Gabe Vincent’s,’\u201d Lakers coach JJ Redick said. \u201cHe’s easy to coach. You know what he’s gonna be day-to-day.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What Vincent is going to be basically defines what\u00a0Redick\u00a0will prioritize when finalizing his bench rotation. After already naming\u00a0James,\u00a0Davis, D\u2019Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura as definitive starters, Redick has not determined the rest of his nine-man rotation.<\/p>\n Assume Vincent will be the lead reserve considering Redick will value bench players who can defend well, play team ball and minimize mistakes. Expect Vincent to offer those qualities with either Russell or Reaves on the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Gabe, he\u2019s someone that plays the game the right way and does all the little things that nobody talks about,\u201d Reaves said. \u201cYou can always trust him to be the low-man, the X rotation, diving on the floor for loose balls. He\u2019s someone you know you can fully trust to do everything out there. So you just feel real comfortable with him on the court at any time.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Vincent spoke to Sportskeeda about how he plans to approach that role, how he managed his injury and his appreciation for Redick, James and Anthony Davis.<\/p>\n The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.<\/em><\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cJust strengthening the muscles around the joints. It wasn\u2019t like I was fresh off of surgery or on crutches or anything. It was more so having the time. Since I had the time, I was able to backtrack it and start from square one and build a good foundation for the year. I felt 100% a month after the end of the season.”<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cIt was just time. Any time you have an operation, the surgeon is going to say one thing. But the body says another. The timetable might say that you\u2019re good in six weeks, per se. But that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that you\u2019re high level in six weeks. I was just trying to make sure that my body was prepared for the stretch ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThere was some frustration with not being able to compete. As a competitor, I wanted to help my team win. Every day they\u2019re going to battle, and I want to suit up with them.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI was just trying to figure out the best way I could help the group. I obviously wasn\u2019t on the court. So I was trying to bring good energy or I was trying to uplift somebody or communicate from the bench. It was communication, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThey all understand that impact. Everyone has dealt with injuries at some point in their career now. LeBron and AD specifically have had long successful careers in the league. They\u2019ve seen everything under the sun. So there was no doubt in their mind. I never felt judged or anything like that. It was more so, \u2018Just take care of your body. And when you\u2019re ready, we\u2019re looking forward to it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent: \u201c<\/strong>You just do what you can to prepare. That\u2019s it. You do what you can. You adjust. You pivot. You try to make it work. That\u2019s the athlete in us. I play through a lot of stuff. So if I\u2019m not playing, it\u2019s for good reason. Whether it\u2019s we\u2019re trying to make sure we watch the load that we\u2019re doing or I have something going on, if I can play, I\u2019m going to play, respectfully. So if I\u2019m not playing, it\u2019s because something is going on.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s been great to get more facetime with him and talk about the game more. He has a great and brilliant mind. I\u2019ve gotten to know him more as a person now. It\u2019s great to be around him.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cEveryone hears how his regimen was when he played and how detailed he was. You see those elements in his approach to the game boil over to coaching and how he prepares. It\u2019s been great to see him working. I\u2019m excited to see him continue to grow this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s the same way I always do. I\u2019m just trying to win games. I\u2019ll let everyone else worry about the other stuff. I\u2019ll be aggressive, whether it\u2019s to make a play for myself or a teammate. Or I\u2019ll get a stop. I want to make sure our team has more points in the end than the other team.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThat is something that I struggled with early being a young player. I think there\u2019s always an adjustment in the league with the speed and pace. Especially being a young point guard, that was an adjustment for me. I wanted to make sure I could get everyone organized and situated. So it\u2019s something that I grew on a few years ago and I have been building on it throughout my career. So I think those all are qualities that I can provide.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI feel like when I first started playing the game and starting at point guard, I wasn\u2019t the biggest guy on the court. When I got to high school, I transitioned into more of a combo guard in college. But it wasn\u2019t until the bubble in Miami [in 2020] when I started to handle it more in practice. Then they were like, \u2018Oh, you can run the 1.\u2019 It\u2019s like, \u2018Shocker!\u2019 You know what I mean? But it changes. It\u2019s based on need, really. If a team has a void, I just try to fill it and get on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n Knowing that D\u2019Angelo and Austin have some similarities and differences, how do you think you can complement them whenever you\u2019re on the court together?<\/strong><\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI\u2019ve played alongside a lot of different guards. Goran Dragic is a scoring attack handler.\u00a0Kyle Lowry\u00a0is more of a pass-first, veteran guard.\u00a0Tyler Herro\u00a0is young and trying to attack the rim. He\u2019s matured a lot now as his game has grown.<\/p>\n “But I feel like I\u2019ve been alongside different archetypes of guards. I can play alongside them, no problem. I have no problem setting them up or being on the receiving end and spacing the floor. I try to make the right play over and over. And I try to help the team win. I try to keep it that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent: \u201c<\/strong>We always do. Whether something happens in another game that we\u2019re watching or we say, \u2018Did you see this action or this little wrinkle?\u2019 We try to get creative and dissect the game when we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s the consistency. His consistency to the game is remarkable. But it\u2019s also his day-to-day and preparation and his approach to the game and the respect that he shows the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI think his size, his length and the way he can cover ground. He\u2019s not just limited to being in the paint. He\u2019s not just a drop big. He can step out. He might do it all the time. But he shows moments of it. That\u2019s smothering defense from a seven-footer. He\u2019s pretty dynamic. He\u2019s got a knack for it with great instincts for the ball to block shots and get rebounds. We value everything that he does.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As he reflected on coping with a left knee injury that sidelined him for all but 11 games last season,\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent\u00a0saw one of… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nGabe Vincent interview (Exclusive)<\/h2>\n
What did your rehab entail this summer?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What were the turning points in your recovery?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How did you internalize the injury last season?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
You\u2019ve said you still tried to make an impact with the group. In what ways?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
LeBron and the rest of the group seemed to show a lot of grace with sharing how much they need you, but fully understanding your situation. How did that land with you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Sports can always be unpredictable with injuries. But before your injury last season, you played in 68 games for each of the past two seasons in Miami. What do you think helped your odds to stay healthy then?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What\u2019s it been like to have JJ as head coach after playing against him and\u00a0<\/strong>also joining him on his podcast<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What have you learned more about him?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
When you were on his podcast, you all talked about the importance of being a part of winning plays. How do you provide these things with this current group?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
JJ said he\u2019ll evaluate his bench rotation depending on which guys get after it defensively and know how to minimize mistakes within a structured system. What do you think contributes to you excelling in those areas?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
When do you feel like you turned a corner with that?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
I saw in your group interview that you often talk strategy. What are the conversations like?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Though you had your injury last season, what things did you appreciate more as LeBron as a teammate after previously going up against him?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What makes AD unique defensively compared to the other DPOY candidates?<\/strong><\/h3>\n