After Austin Reeves, another failed draft was put into the starting lineup by Vogel. Vogel is not in a hurry, and the 24-year-old Gabriel has indeed brought surprises to the team. On March 19, the Lakers beat the Raptors 128-123 through overtime. Gabriel became a Lakers, scoring 10 points in the first three minutes of the first quarter, 14 points in the first quarter for 8 minutes, 25 minutes on 25-of-8 shooting, 3-of-3 three-pointers, 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.
Who is Vernion Gabriel? Before joining the Lakers, not many fans knew him, but he is now a key figure in Breaking the Team's deadlock for Lakers coach Vogel.
Gabriel, who lost the 2018 draft from Sudan, played two seasons at the University of Kentucky but fell behind in the 2018 draft. Still, a lot of teams want to give him a try. In 4 years, he has played for six NBA teams, including the Kings, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Nets, Clippers and Lakers, in addition to playing for three development league teams – Stockton Kings, Wisconsin Deer And South Bay Lakers.
Playing for 9 teams in 4 years, Gabriel can be called the representative of the league's "tramp". This season, the Nets, Clippers and Pelicans have all given Gabriel a 10-day contract. The Lakers signed Gabriel on a two-way contract on March 2, for which the team cut Dunbuya.
According to the US media hopshype, Gabriel's salary at the Lakers is $109,000. Gabriel is a big forward, 2.06 meters tall, before joining the Lakers, he played 58 regular-season games, averaging 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, shooting 41.3% from the field and 36.8% from three-point range.
Obviously, Gabriel's data alone is not remarkable. However, the Lakers signed him, to a large extent, need his size and vitality. The Lakers are too short of interior players, and although Vogel was obsessed with small lineups before, it is impossible to never use big players.
In this game, Gabriel was pushed into the starting position, in fact, Vogel was tantamount to somewhat correcting his paranoia about using a small lineup. The battle used Gabriel and Howard to pair up the interior and return to the traditional lineup. The change was immediate, and the Lakers were clearly more proactive. Gabriel is like a catfish activating a pool of stagnant water.
The Lakers finally stopped collapsing in the first quarter, but instead took a 33-30 lead. Gabriel had 14 points and two rebounds on 6-of-6 shooting in the first quarter and 2-of-2 three-pointers. Gabriel shot another three-pointer in the second half. Vogel did trust Gabriel and used him in extra time. With 4.4 seconds left in the game, Van Jordan's layup was slapped off by Gabriel.
Vogel commented on Gabriel after the game: "He brings fresh air to the team and his technique is very solid. He continues to impress and tonight he played a really good game. "Gabriel plays the role of the catfish effect. With this wonderful performance as the foundation, he is expected to continue to play the starting big forward.