The Los Angeles Lakers certainly weren’t expecting to be sent home in five games in their first-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While they knew Minnesota would be a challenge, the series eventually turned into top bench players like Gabe Vincent getting almost completely ousted from the rotation, leaning on one five-man lineup to keep the team afloat.
The Lakers now know they have some work to do in order to be serious contenders in 2025-26. It starts with getting a starting caliber center and following that up with adding some more legitimate depth. Much of their depth, including Vincent, are already under contract for next season but could, in theory, be traded to make improvements in the offseason.
Vincent gave his thoughts on the end of the Lakers season, and was candid in his emotions towards how the postseason went.
“It’s definitely not the finish we wanted,” he said. “It’s disappointing, frustrating.
The bench guard knows that the Lakers have some work to do in the offseason, and that it’s possible he may not even be back. But he is ready to use what happened this season as fuel to improve in 2025-26.
One day at a time,” Vincent said. “I think we’re kind of still in this moment, sitting in this. We obviously have the whole offseason now so curious to see what will happen, but obviously it’s just fuel to the fire. The goal remains the same, each time we step into this locker room together, we’re trying to compete for a title. The goal hasn’t changed, just an unfortunate end to the year.”
He continued talking about the end of the Lakers’ season and the feeling that the had more to accomplish.
Absolutely,” he said when asked if the team had unfinished business. “We fell short, so I think you always have that feeling. It’s just more so a feeling of disappointment and frustration.”
What the Lakers do over the next few months is going to be a fascinating watch. And one way or another, Vincent is going to be a part of the calculations. If he does return, he’ll be motivated to ensure that next season doesn’t end the way this one did.
LeBron James has made it clear that at this stage of his career he is only playing to compete for championships, but unfortunately, the Lakers fell well short of that as the Timberwolves defeated them in five games in the first round.
After a rough series like that, it’s natural for someone like James to feel all sorts of emotions and he described them in the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash.
