In his first year with the Heat, Gabe Vincent didn't have a significant role in Erik Spoelstra's rotation. He only played in nine regular season games and one playoff game in 2019-20.
Oh, how things have changed. The 26-year-old is a big reason why Miami has reached the 2023 NBA Finals despite entering the playoffs as the East's No. 8 seed.
How did Vincent go from undrafted to indispensable in just a few years?
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Who is Gabe Vincent?
High school and college years
Vincent played at St. Mary's High School in Stockton, Calif., averaging 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.1 steals per game as a senior. In his final high school season, St. Mary's finished with a 27-2 overall record.
He then attended UC Santa Barbara, playing in 113 games from 2014-18. He averaged at least 10 points per game in each of his four college seasons and earned a spot on the All-Big West Second Team in 2017-18.
"Gabe's journey hasn't been easy, but he's so strong-willed and determined," Ken Green, who coached Vincent for three years at St. Mary's, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "You can see that on the court. He's a ferocious competitor, and that suits the Heat culture.
"He's not going to give in, and I think that propelled him to work harder. He'll just keep working."
G League stint
Vincent worked out for the Kings ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft. He was excited about the possibility of playing in Sacramento or Stockton, which became the home of the Kings' G League affiliate in 2018.
"To even have the opportunity to play back in Stockton again would be wonderful," Vincent said at the time. "I miss it. I don't get a chance to go back that much with school, so it's great, great news to hear. I think it will be great for that city."
The Kings didn't select Vincent in the draft, but he did sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the team. He never made it to the NBA roster, spending two seasons in Stockton.
Joining the Heat
The Heat signed Vincent to a two-way contract in January 2020. He logged minutes for both the Heat and their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He won the G League's Most Improved Player award for the 2019-20 season.
After playing in 50 games for the Heat during the 2020-21 campaign, Vincent landed a standard contract.
"Gabe has proven to us that he is more than just a point guard," Heat president Pat Riley said as part of the team's announcement. "He's a two-way guard that can run the offense, make threes and pretty much defend any guard in this league.
"It's good to have him as part of our young core of players that we feel blend perfectly with our veterans."
Vincent's role has only grown in the past two seasons. Most recently, he averaged 15.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game with 48.5/51.6/93.8 shooting splits in the Eastern Conference Finals.
He scored a playoff career-high 29 points in the Heat's Game 3 win against the Celtics.
Gabe Vincent 2022-23 stats
Regular season
- 9.4 points per game
- 2.5 assists per game
- 2.1 rebounds per game
- 0.9 steals per game
- 25.9 minutes per game
- 40.2 percent shooting
- 33.4 percent 3-point shooting
- 87.2 percent free throw shooting
NBA Playoffs
- 13.1 points per game
- 3.9 assists per game
- 1.7 rebounds per game
- 0.8 steals per game
- 31.2 minutes per game
- 40.8 percent shooting
- 39.0 percent 3-point shooting
- 89.3 percent free throw shooting