Vincent on Lowry effect: ‘My IQ has grown’
Kyle Lowry remains out because of a strained left hamstring, but his impact is still being felt through Gabe Vincent.
Vincent has filled in for the injured Lowry as the Miami Heat’s starting point guard during most of its playoff run. The Heat entered Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals at FTX Arena on Thursday night with a perfect 7-0 record this postseason with Vincent in the starting lineup.
“I feel like my IQ has grown a lot being around him,” Vincent said of Lowry’s influence in their first season as teammates. “Learning how to read defenses differently. I think I’ve become a much better passer. A lot of that has to do with being able to see things develop or see where I can get guys the ball where the defense can’t get it. I think you see that most for me particularly with pitching the ball ahead.
“It’s those kind of bold plays that as the year has gone on, I’ve become more and more comfortable and learned how to pick my spots and time and score, flow of the game, when to do it, when not to do it. His impact on me has shown in a number of ways. Definitely in terms of passing the ball and reading the game.”
With Lowry missing eight of the Heat’s first 13 games this postseason because of a hamstring injury and no clear timetable for his return, Vincent’s growth as a point guard has been vital for the Heat during the playoffs.
In the first seven playoff starts of his NBA career over the past month, Vincent has totaled 25 assists to 10 turnovers and produced very positive minutes. The Heat has outscored opponents by 25.6 points per 100 possessions with Vincent on the court in his first seven postseason starts.
“It’s a great dynamic and a really unique relationship because a lot of it has been mentoring a guy without even knowing it
when Kyle is out that this guy now can handle more responsibilities,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about Lowry’s impact on Vincent. “That’s how unselfish Kyle is. It also takes the right kind of mindset from Gabe to be open-minded to that mentorship and not ever think, even after success, that ‘Oh no, I got this.’ They really feed off each other.”
Vincent has come a long way since joining the Heat on a two-way contract in January 2020 as a gunslinger with a scorefirst mentality who averaged 20.9 points on 10.3 three-point attempts and 2.3 assists per game in his final season in the G League in 2019-20. Through two-plus years in the Heat’s player development program, Vincent has turned himself into a three-and-D weapon who has also improved his point guard skills with Lowry’s help.
Vincent, 25, ranks third on the Heat with 67 potential
assists (any pass to a teammate who shoots within one dribble of receiving the ball) this postseason behind only Jimmy Butler (115 potential assists) and Tyler Herro (80).
“Gabe is a great competitor and he’s been able to shape-shift into different roles, which is really important. That is a talent,” Spoelstra said. “I think that just speaks to his mental makeup, his competitive character, his mental stability, that he can take on different roles.
“We’ve had enough experience doing it during the regular season, where he’s been a guy that’s really helped our second unit. He’s been able to start in all those games that either Kyle or Jimmy missed. And then he also handled things with great class when he was out of the rotation. And he’s all about winning. He’s going to embrace whatever role it is, and you just can’t have enough guys like
that.”
Whatever Vincent needs to do to help the Heat win, he’s willing to do it.
“I think the biggest part of his development is just making winning basketball plays and not trying to be what anybody might think he has to be,” Spoelstra said, “whether that’s a gunslinger or whether that’s just a set-up guy or somebody to try to fill Kyle’s shoes.”
BAM’S VOTE
Spoelstra finished third in the race for the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award this season. Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams earned the honor, which was voted on by a panel of 100 media members.
But Spoelstra would have received Heat center Bam Adebayo’s firstplace vote.
“I feel like he should have got coach of the year,” Adebayo said. “60 percent of your team is undrafted and you’re No. 1 in the East. I feel that
was really overlooked. I talk to Spo a lot, asking him schemes, tendencies, plays, how to attack matchups to just help the team be better. He’s one of those coaches who’s willing to adjust if players want to adjust.”
Spoelstra’s willingness to listen to players’ input when building the game plan has surprised veteran P.J. Tucker.
“It’s crazy because I thought he was going to be more of a dictator than he is,” said Tucker, who is in his first season with the Heat. “I thought he was, ‘This way or we’re not doing it.’ He’s really not like that. I thought he was from playing against him.
“He gives us a chance to make adjustments and draw it out and see how it works. It’s definitely a collaborative thing and I’m appreciative of that because it’s not always like that.”