Miami Heat: Why Gabe Vincent should not be the backup point guard

Gabe Vincent is reportedly the early clubhouse leader to be the Miami Heat backup point guard. Ethan Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports stated on August 16th that the Heat are initially planning to give the backup point guard position to Vincent.

However, the Heat’s decision to give Vincent the first crack at the backup point guard job is risky because of how the team uses point guards. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has relegated his point guards to mostly off-ball duty over the past two seasons.

Let’s take a look at why Gabe Vincent could struggle as the backup point guard with the Miami Heat in his third NBA season.

For instance, Kendrick Nunn stood on the left wing during the first quarter of the road game against the Charlotte Hornets on May 2nd. Nunn spent the whole possession watching as Jimmy Butler had the ball on the right wing, getting ready to pass it to Bam Adebayo, who was on the left block.

Adebayo held the ball until Trevor Ariza decided to cut to the basket from the top of the key. Once Ariza passed the free throw line, Bam Adebayo passed him the ball, and Ariza finished the possession with a layup.

These types of plays from the Heat have been the driving force behind point guards taking the majority of their shots from behind the arc. Nunn and Goran Dragić attempted more than four threes per game over the past two seasons: at least 40 percent of their total field goals.

On the surface, it would seem like Vincent could thrive in this role as he made 37.6 percent of his threes in UC Santa Barbara on 5.7 attempts per game in four seasons at the University. Vincent continued to succeed behind the arc in the G League as he shot 37.7 percent from behind the arc on 7.5 attempts in 56 games over two seasons.

Unfortunately, he has regressed from behind the arc at the NBA level, making 28.9 percent of his catch and shoot attempts on 2.2 shots per game in 59 appearances over two seasons. Vincent would end up shooting 29.5 from three on 3 attempts.

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Vincent’s inability to make catch and shoot threes is vital in determining whether he can thrive as a Miami Heat backup point guard. The majority of Dragić and Nunn’s threes were of the catch and shoot variety as they attempted at least 3 per game over the past two seasons: over 50 percent of their total threes.

Therefore, it is ill-advised for the team to put Vincent as an early front runner to the backup point guard job when he has struggled on catch and shoot threes. They would be better off bringing in some competition and having several point guards battle it out during training camp and preseason.

A point guard they could bring in as competition is free agent Isaiah Thomas. Thomas has a track record of being able to space the floor throughout his career, shooting 37.6 percent on catch and shoot threes since 2013 on 2.6 shots.

More importantly, Thomas hasn’t been able to land a consistent job in the league since he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip in 2018 to remove debris from the joint. Consequently, the Heat could invite him to training camp to compete for the backup point guard job.

Bringing Thomas in would protect the team if Vincent struggled in training camp and preseason. In conclusion, Vincent’s struggles from three in the NBA make it a risky proposition to have him as the early front runner for the backup point guard job.