JJ Redick: I Wish I Had 10 Gabe Vincents On The Lakers

JJ Redick is a big believer in Gabe Vincent. While speaking to the press recently, Redick spoke about Vincent's return from injury and how he wants him to play. Redick noted that he wants Gabe to be aggressive and hungry while noting that he wishes he had 10 Gabe Vincents on his team.

"In terms of the basketball piece, he and I spent about three and a half hours together with a couple of glasses... In Vegas during Summer League. One of the things I just talked about with him is just having a really aggressive mentality. He is, and I knew this prior to him being back in the gym, I knew that he was super professional."

"Rob talked about that when I got the job. We have a lot of these guys. But he's one of those guys where you're like 'I'd love to have 10 Gabe Vincents'. He's just easy to coach, you know what he is going to be day to day in terms of consistency."

For the performance side, the biggest thing for him is just having a really aggressive mentality. Don't turn down shots, coming off an action, your first shot is to shoot a three. For him, specifically, creating that level of freedom and clear-mindedness is important."

Gabe Vincent was out injured for most of last season with the Lakers, and when he did play, he didn't thrive in Darvin Ham's offensive system. He played about 20 minutes a game, averaging 3.1 points, 1.9 assists, and 0.8 rebounds in 11 games with the Lakers. These numbers were a letdown considering how well he had played with the Miami Heat in the previous year's playoffs.

During the Heat's 2023 run to the NBA Finals, Vincent averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 rebounds. Perhaps his injury troubles played a part in how well he could contribute, and this coming season, he will vastly improve on the numbers he put up in his first 11 games with the Lakers.

Gabe Vincent Could Be A Great Bench Option

Based on what JJ Redick says, he will be relying heavily on Gabe Vincent as a rotation piece. The Lakers bench unit is expected to include Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, and Max Christie, with other players being brought in and out of the rotation based on the requirement.

Redick may have already communicated this to news to the squad when he held a team meeting ahead of training camp, where he also laid down some ground rules, and instructed the team on the identity of the Lakers on both offense and defense.

Things are looking solid for the Lakers ahead of the new season. The optimism within the Lakers camp is reportedly very high, and even fans of the purple and gold are getting excited again about their team for the first time in a long time.

Redick's inexperience may actually serve to benefit the team, as he will be willing to try new things and go a different route when the team needs it.