Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo had some major praise for guard Gabe Vincent after his impressive performance against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night.
Vincent was phenomenal on Sunday, making 11 of his 14 shot attempts from the field on his way to scoring 29 points. He also added two rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block.
The Heat guard’s performance helped the team take a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Celtics in the series.
Miami is sitting just one win away from a berth in the NBA Finals, and Vincent has been a huge reason as to why the team has gotten there.
In the playoffs, the fourth-year guard is averaging 12.9 points, 4.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc.
He’s taken over as the team’s starting point guard, allowing Kyle Lowry to come off the bench. The Heat have thrived with that lineup, especially in the playoffs.
A strong defender as well, Vincent has taken on tough assignments all postseason, including guard Jalen Brunson for the majority of the team’s series against the New York Knicks.
In that series, Vincent picked up Brunson full-court, doing everything he could to deny the Knicks star the ball.
In the Celtics series, the Heat guard has found his scoring prowess again. In three games against Boston, Vincent is averaging 17.7 points per game while shooting 60.7 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from beyond the arc.
He has four 20-point games in the 2023 playoffs for Miami, showing that he can be called upon to handle some of the offensive load when the team needs it.
All postseason long, the Heat have gotten strong contributions from role players like Vincent, Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin and Max Strus.
Adebayo clearly sees the impact of his starting point guard on both ends of the floor and believes he deserves some serious respect for it.
The Heat are hoping that Vincent can continue to play at a high level for the rest of the playoffs as the team chases another NBA title. Miami last made the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 season, and it is on the verge of returning, needing just one win over the next four games to advance.