Preseason surprise! Can Vincent, who is in a contract year, have a big breakout?

In the preseason, who is the most surprising player for the Lakers?

Doncic needless to say, although he only played two games, he scored 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in one game (22 minutes), and 31 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists (33 minutes) in one game. It can only be said that a superstar is a superstar. In the new season, Doncic will once again challenge for MVP.

Reeves is also very good. In four games, he averaged less than 27 minutes per game and delivered 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. During the offseason, Reeves rejected the Lakers' 4-year, 89.2 million contract extension. He will definitely work hard for a big contract in the new season.

Doncic and Reeves are both good, but the biggest surprise may be Vincent.

You read that right, Vincent played in four of the Lakers' six preseason games, and each game had a very "unexpected" performance:

- Against the Warriors, he made 4 of 9 shots, 3 of 7 three-pointers, and scored 16 points and 5 assists. , scored 22 points and 3 assists

- Against the Kings, he made 5 of 6 shots, 4 of 5 three-pointers, and scored 14 points and 2 assists

In four games, Vincent averaged 22.3 minutes per game, 16.3 points, 3.0 assists, and 0.8 steals. He ranked third on the team in scoring behind Doncic and Reeves, and was extremely efficient. He made 15 of 27 three-pointers and hit 55.6%.

For comparison, Vincent last season:

- In the regular season, he averaged only 6.4 points and 1.3 assists per game, and shot 40.0% from the field, and 35.3% from three-point range.

- In the playoffs, he averaged only 2.8 points and 1.0 assists per game, and his shooting percentage was 35.3%. The shooting percentage was 35.7% and the three-point shooting percentage was 30.8%

Vincent joined the Lakers in the 2023 offseason. He was originally regarded as a strong signing for the Lakers that summer. However, in the first year of joining, Vincent was absent due to injury and only played 11 games in total.

Not only that, in the games he played, his condition was extremely poor, averaging only 3.1 points per game, hitting 3 of 28 three-pointers, and shooting only 10.7% - it was simply unbearable to look at. Due to his poor performance, Vincent, like his "predecessor" Nunn, liked to be called a "scammer".

Last season, Vincent finally returned and served as the main substitute for the Lakers. He performed well on the defensive end. Although he was only 1.88 meters tall, he was very tough, highly motivated, and had excellent defensive judgment and awareness.

However, on the offensive end, Vincent's state is very unstable. His shooting rate from open three-pointers (nearest defender 4-6 feet) is only 33.8%. For a player who is positioned in 3D and 74% of his shots are outside the three-point line, this is obviously unacceptable.

You must know that the reason why the Lakers signed Vincent was because of his 3D attributes. During the Heat's 2023 Finals trip, Vincent's performance can be said to be amazing, averaging 12.7 points and 3.5 assists per game, and shooting 37.8% from three-point range.

But in the two years since he joined the Lakers, Vincent has not returned to the level of the playoffs that year in terms of attendance rate or offensive touch. Even if he rebounded last season, he will definitely not reach the level of annual salary of tens of millions.

Until this year's preseason, Vincent was simply unfamiliar.

Especially against the Mavericks, Vincent started the game. He scored 5 consecutive three-pointers in the beginning and scored 18 points in the first quarter. His shots were confident and decisive, as if he had regained the state that helped the Heat reach the finals.

Although there are not enough samples, Vincent in this state is really rare after joining the Lakers - maintaining a 55.6% three-point shooting rate throughout the season is a bit unrealistic, but if there are about 40% three-pointers, then the Lakers' offensive end will definitely improve significantly.

The latest news is that Vincent will remain the starter at the beginning of the regular season. Redick said this: "There will be a lot of shooting opportunities around Luka. Vincent can both handle the ball and defend. I think he is very suitable for this lineup."

Doncic also gave Vincent great recognition: "I like playing with Vincent very much. His shooting ability can help us a lot."

It is worth mentioning that in the 2023 offseason, the Lakers signed a three-year 30 million contract with Vincent. The new season is the last year of this contract, with an annual salary of 11.5 million. In view of his performance in the previous two seasons, it is not surprising that Vincent did not get an early extension from the Lakers in the offseason, but if the new season can break out, he may get a good contract in the contract year.

In fact, for Vincent, playing next to Doncic is really an opportunity. Doncic needs players who can control the ball for half the court, occasionally organize, defend, and can shoot three-pointers. Vincent fits the bill perfectly. In the preseason, he was strangely scary. It depends on whether he can continue this state.