Almost every year, the Heat manage to pull unknown players out of their hats and make them important members of the rotation. The latest? Gabe Vincent, who has seen his role expand greatly this season on the South Beach side.
A year ago, Gabe Vincent was a player that not many people outside of Miami knew. Today, he is far from being an international superstar but has nevertheless become a significant element in Erik Spoelstra’s rotation. 68 games played regularly, 27 starts, more than 23 minutes on average, all for stats of 8.7 points and 3.1 assists per night with almost 37% 3-point success. The 26-year-old guard even took advantage of Kyle Lowry’s struggles to chain tenure in the Playoffs and drop some great performances in the beautiful course of the Heat until Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. A real step forward therefore for Mister Vincent, who thus extends the line of these undrafted players who are making a place for themselves in the NBA thanks to the Heat’s development process. Because yes, Gabe Vincent, he was left out in the 2018 Draft and then had to spend a year and a half with the Stockton Kings in the G League. He only arrived in Florida in January 2020 and through the back door (a two-way contract), before making a name for himself by becoming the minor league MIP. It helped him land a real contract with the Heat in the summer of 2021, and the rest you know.
Gabe Vincent is one of the great stories of the Heat version 2021-22. And if Miami has gone to only one victory in the NBA Finals despite sores and absences, it is also thanks to him. Confirmation expected this season for the Modesto native.