Miami Heat forward P.J. Tucker recently revealed which player he has a little extra appreciation for on the team’s roster.
Tucker explained why guard Gabe Vincent is one of the special players on the Heat this season.
“I would say Gabe Vincent,” Tucker said to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I love Gabe. I love the way he plays, aggressive, plays hard, confident. You don’t get a whole lot of guys like that who don’t play a whole lot, but when they get in the game, right away they make their presence felt on defense and be confident.”
Vincent has become a key player for the Heat this season, as he’s already appeared in 31 games and made nine starts.
The Heat have lost several players to injury this season, including stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. That has allowed players like Vincent to step into bigger roles on the team.
Vincent is making the most of his opportunity, as he’s averaging 8.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.
This is Vincent’s third season in Miami, as he appeared in nine games during the 2019-20 season and 50 games in the 2020-21 campaign.
The 2021-22 season has been his breakout campaign, as he’s averaging career-highs in minutes, points, rebounds and assists per game.
Vincent’s presence allowed Miami to allocate resources elsewhere this past offseason. The Heat were clearly confident in him playing a bigger role off the bench.
It has paid off so far, as Miami is 21-13 and currently the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.