Contrary to an earlier report, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Gabe Vincent is still on track to return this season, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
“Lakers G Gabe Vincent is nearing a return and intends to play again this season barring any setbacks, league sources tell @TheSteinLine. Vincent has played in just 5 games as a Laker and underwent arthroscopic surgery (left knee) in late December,” Stein reported on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, March 19.
Stein’s news on Vincent came on the heels of Bill Reiter of CBS Sports reporting that the point guard, along with Christian Wood, and Jarred Vanderbilt will miss the rest of the season.
“Sources tell CBSSports that Los Angeles Lakers players Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent will miss the rest of the season. While Vanderbilt still could return, sources say, the expectation is that will not happen. ESPN first reported the news on Wood,” Reiter wrote on X, more than six hours before Stein’s update.
Vincent has been a limited participant in the Lakers practice this past week, indicating that he has progressed in his recovery from knee surgery.
Lakers practice today. Gabe Vincent is in a purple pinny, talking to Phil Handy
Lakers coach Darvin Ham confirmed that Vincent is “still doing his individual process” following Wednesday’s practice.
“It’s still ongoing but it’s going in a really positive way,” Ham told reporters.
Darvin Ham with a health update on Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish:
Vincent has been out since December 20 last year and had only seen action in five games after signing a $33 million, three-year contract with the Lakers in the offseason.
The 27-year-old guard averaged 5.0 points, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals in those five games as he went in and out of the Lakers lineup due to his injury.
Vincent was the Lakers’ top free-agent target after he averaged 12.7 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 38% from the 3-point range for the Heat during last season’s run to the NBA Finals.
Christian Wood Undergoes Successful Surgery
Wood underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure, the team announced on Tuesday, March 19.
According to the Lakers, Dr. Kristofer J. Jones performed the procedure at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The Lakers did not provide a timetable for Wood’s return.
The Lakers backup center hasn’t played since February 14 due to a left knee injury. Before the surgery, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on March 18 that Wood is expected to be sidelined by several weeks while noting that the regular season ends on April 14.
The 28-year-old Wood is averaging 6.9 points on 46.6% shooting with 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in his first season with the Lakers after signing a two-year deal last summer. He had a pair of 11-point outings this February before going down with the injury.
Without Wood, the Lakers are thin at frontline, leaving Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes alternating as their centers.
In the wake of Wood’s injury, the Lakers signed Harry Giles III to a two-way contract. But a two-way player is not eligible to play in the playoffs.
Anthony Davis Details Eye Injury
Davis returned from an eye injury and dominated the Atlanta Hawks frontline. He finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block in the Lakers’ 136-105 victory.
Davis detailed his harrowing experience after missing the final three-quarters of their March 16 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
“I just couldn’t see,” Davis told reporters after beating the Hawks. “The corneal abrasion was actually right in the middle of my eye. So it wasn’t like off to the side, so anytime I looked, it was just blurry. My eye was swollen. I thought my eye was open, but it wasn’t. Just kept watering, just felt like sand was just in my eye.
It was just better closed, and I couldn’t really see. So just been icing it, Saturday after the first quarter, and just it got better later that night.”
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Insider Shares Major Injury Update on Lakers’ $33 Million Guard