51 points + 11 three-pointers in 3 games! Another 29-year-old Lakers guard wakes up: Defeat Russell

The 29-year-old Vincent became the biggest surprise for the Lakers in this year's preseason. He played in 3 preseason games and scored in double figures in each game. Especially in the game against the Mavericks on October 16, he scored 22 points and 3 assists, and made 6 of 11 three-pointers. Vincent completely defeated the Mavericks substitute point guard Russell in this battle. The latter only scored 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and made 3 turnovers.

Vincent was on full fire in the first quarter of this game, and he rained crazy three-pointers. With 10 minutes and 59 seconds left in the first quarter, he received an assist from Vanderbilt and made a three-pointer. Later, Vanderbilt assisted him with two consecutive three-pointers. Then he stepped back and made his fourth three-pointer. With 8 minutes and 14 seconds left in the first quarter, he scored his fifth three-pointer with an assist from Hayes.

Vincent's explosion was not over yet. There were 7 minutes and 51 seconds left in the first quarter. His three-point shot was fouled by Tang Shen, and he stood on the free throw line and made all three free throws. In less than 5 minutes of play, Vincent scored 18 points alone and led the Lakers on a 20-8 offensive wave.

Regarding his outburst in the first quarter, Vincent said in an interview: "Someone on the opponent's bench said that I would not make another shot. I just wanted them to know that I heard it."

Unfortunately, Vincent did not continue such a hot touch, and he finally scored 22 points in the game. But this was also the Lakers' highest score as a team in this game. The Lakers were playing back-to-back games and had a rest in this game. Both Doncic and Ayton were absent from the game. Vincent entered the starting lineup and his performance earned praise from teammate Hayes. "His performance in training camp was outstanding. You saw his shooting performance today. He has been very good. I really enjoy playing with guards like this." Hayes said after the game.

Vincent himself said that he knew that the team was short-handed, so he wanted to play more aggressively, and praised his teammates for finding him early. Vincent's outbreak in this battle was not accidental. He performed well in the first two preseason games.

Vincent scored 16 points and 5 assists against the Warriors on October 6, and made 3 of 7 three-pointers. In another game against the Warriors on October 13, he scored 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, and made 2 of 4 three-pointers.

Vincent scored a total of 51 points and 10 assists in 3 preseason games, and made 11 of 21 three-pointers. In other words, Vincent averaged 17.0 points and 3.3 assists per game and shot 52.4% from three-point range.

Vincent's awakening is a great thing for the Lakers. Especially with James missing part of the early season due to injury, if Vincent can continue his form into the regular season, it will help the Lakers get off to a good start.

The Lakers signed a three-year, 33 million contract with Vincent in the summer of 2023. At that time, the Lakers counted on Vincent, who helped the Heat reach the finals, to become the team's reliable backup point guard. But Vincent spent most of his first season with the Lakers recuperating from injury, and although he returned at the end of the season, his performance was very poor. So much so that some fans described Vincent as a fraud.

Vincent still performed poorly with the Lakers last season. He averaged 21.2 minutes of playing time per game. As a substitute, this kind of playing time is a lot. He averaged 6.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.7 steals per game, shooting 40.0% from the field, 35.3% from the three-point range, and 71.4% from the free throw line.

Vincent is entering his third season with the Lakers, which is also the last year of his three-year contract. How Vincent performs this season will determine the amount of his next NBA contract. Many players will break out in their contract years, and Vincent may be one of them. In 2023, Vincent broke out with the Heat and received a three-year, $33 million contract from the Lakers. As Hayes said, Vincent performed well in training camp and then ushered in a breakout in the preseason.

In this battle, Vincent's performance overshadowed the Mavericks' backup point guard Russell. In the new season, with James temporarily absent, Vincent is expected to be a good helper for Doncic.