Heat coach’s recent praise for Gabe Vincent bodes well for his upcoming Lakers season

The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason acquisition of Gabe Vincent is expected to provide the team with additional firepower in the backcourt. The fact that he helped the Miami Heat reach the Finals as a starter last season is also a good sign for the Lakers.

Matt Houston, an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Heat, recently shared his thoughts about Vincent in an appearance on Sam Okauru’s show, saying that the former undrafted guard is destined for even greater things.

“Gabe, I’m so happy for him, man, earned everything, nothing given to him,” Houston said. “His whole story is crazy, and he’s going to keep shining, man, because he puts in the work, puts in the time. The sky’s the limit.”

Interestingly, Houston revealed that he shares strong ties with Vincent. For one, Vincent went to college (University of California, Santa Barbara) in the same town as Houston’s high school. So, some of the people in the 27-year-old’s circle were also connected to the Heat coach.

Evidently, Houston also saw how much work Vincent put into his game, especially since the sharpshooter came into the NBA as an undrafted free agent after no team took a chance on him in the 2018 draft. After playing in the NBA G League for a while, he eventually found a home with the Heat starting in the middle of the 2019-20 campaign.

Vincent spent three more seasons in Miami, earning a full-time starting spot before the 2023 playoffs, where he proved his value by averaging 12.7 points, 3.5 assists and 2.3 3-pointers per contest. The 6-foot-2 marksman had at least one game in every playoff series where he reached the 20-point mark.

It remains to be seen which role he will be slotted into in Los Angeles, as he reportedly has a legitimate chance to assume a spot in the Lakers’ starting lineup — presumably D’Angelo Russell’s.

Whatever the coaching staff decides on, Vincent will likely have no problem with it because he is already used to putting in the work and time, as mentioned by Houston. Hopefully, he can deliver what the Lakers need for the franchise to get back to the Finals and compete again for a championship.