Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers were in desperate need of serviceable wings and forwards, so they took a flyer on Wenyen Gabriel, a 6-foot-9 man who had played 58 games total dating to the 2019-20 campaign.
Gabriel was undrafted and had bounced around the league playing for five teams. But he started to find a home with the Purple and Gold.
This season, he kept his place in the rotation for much of the campaign. Although he’s lacking in skills and strength, he made up for it in the effort department, and he made an important contribution.