Tag: wenyen gabriel

LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Patrick Beverley out versus Raptors

The Lakers will be very short-handed when they take on the Raptors on Wednesday.

On Tuesday night, Anthony Davis was suffering from flu-like symptoms. He was in the starting lineup versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he left the game in the first quarter and didn’t return.

According to head coach Darvin Ham, Davis had a fever of over 101 degrees, yet he still wanted to play.

Therefore, it is not surprising the superstar big man will not play on Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors in Canada.

Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Lakers will also be without guard Patrick Beverley, who has right knee soreness, and LeBron James, who has left ankle soreness.

In addition, Wenyen Gabriel will miss his second straight game with a sprained left shoulder.

Coming off a 116-102 loss to the Cavs, the Lakers will need an all-hands-on-deck effort to defeat a Raptors team that is 9-3 at home.

Los Angeles’ six-game road trip will resume on Friday when it plays the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Observations from Lakers vs. Kings preseason game

Despite a poor overall showing from the Lakers in their first preseason game, three players stood out in a positive way for them.

Los Angeles Lakers basketball is finally back after a long and strange offseason!

The team looks a lot different this season after a summer that was filled with lots of trade rumors, and Monday’s contest against the Sacramento Kings gave fans a glimpse at what the new-look Lakers could be this season.

Not surprisingly, it was an ugly contest, especially for Los Angeles, which shot 31.2 percent from the field and committed 23 turnovers, which led to 30 Sacramento points.

The team also had lots of trouble on the boards, giving up 15 offensive rebounds.

But there were a few bright spots for the Lakers, especially from these three players in particular.

Lakers exercise options on Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel

Frontcourt players Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel will stay with the Lakers.

Two midseason pickups who emerged as serviceable role players will remain with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The team has picked up the contract options of forwards Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel, paving the way for both to wear the Purple and Gold next season.

Johnson was originally signed to multiple 10-day contracts starting in December when the team was ravaged by injuries and players being placed into the NBA’s health and safety protocol.

Although he lacks competent outside shooting skills, he proved a decent defender, and his energy and youth were sorely needed on a roster that was one of the NBA’s oldest ever.

Johnson, a Southern California native, was a former lottery pick in 2015. Although he is unlikely to achieve the production expected from such a player, he can be a solid role player for L.A. if he improves his 3-point shooting.

Gabriel, an undrafted 6-foot-9 man, was picked up by the Lakers late in the schedule. He, too, is raw offensively, but he showed the ability to be a good rebounder, box out and finish around the hoop when set up by his teammates.

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Wenyen Gabriel talks about what Lakers want him to improve on

Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel was told to work on two specific things this summer in order to become a much more valuable player.

Soon after he was signed in early March, Wenyen Gabriel showed that he had the potential to become exactly the type of role player the Los Angeles Lakers badly needed.

They lacked a backup 4 with legitimate height and length who was young, energetic and defensive-minded, and they got such a player in Gabriel.

When he was on the court, the advanced stats clearly showed that L.A. played better.

But Gabriel still has lots of room for improvement, and he publicly revealed what general manager Rob Pelinka and senior basketball advisor Kurt Rambis asked him to work on this offseason.

Via Silver Screen and Roll:

“It was real positive, my meeting with Rob and Kurt,” Gabriel said. “And they’re excited to have me here this summer so I can put in some work, and they said a lot of good things about me and complimented my game, the different things that I bring to the court. (They just told me) to improve on different things, put on some more weight, spend some time in the weight room and continue to improve my shot.

“But there weren’t too many different things that they wanted to see. Just putting in the time — we have a long offseason — and committing myself to the work is going to lead to good results, so we’re really excited.”

Gabriel is 6-foot-9 but weighs only about 205 pounds. Adding about 10-15 pounds of upper body and core muscle will help him get better at finishing at or near the rim and defending big men in the post or under the basket.

He has shown some promise of becoming a good 3-point shooter, but it hasn’t happened yet, as he made just 26.1 percent of his treys in 19 games with the Purple and Gold.

Becoming an above-average outside shooter would raise his value immensely, especially given his defensive versatility, energy and athleticism.

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Wenyen Gabriel likes the experience he had with Lakers

Wenyen Gabriel, a 25-year-old forward the Lakers picked up towards the end of this season, said he had a positive experience with them.

Desperately needing some length, youth and energy for their frontline, the Los Angeles Lakers took a flyer on 6-foot-9 forward Wenyen Gabriel in early March.

In three NBA seasons, he had little experience, and with a two-way contract, some thought his time would be mainly limited to the G League’s South Bay Lakers.

Instead, Gabriel gained meaningful playing time with the big league Lakers, and he made a nice impression on recently fired head coach Frank Vogel.

The 25-year-old talked about how he enjoyed playing for the Purple and Gold this year, albeit for only about six weeks.

Via Lakers Nation:

“I didn’t come with crazy expectations, I was just trying to carve out a role and look for opportunities to play and show what I could do,” Gabriel said.

“I tried to help the team fill a void, bring my energy, length, athleticism and different things like that to the team. Just trying to get some wins, happy we did get a few during that time, I wish we could’ve gotten some more though. But just being able to play with obviously my former teammate Malik, that was great to be in the same locker room as him, and then to play with great players like Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Westbrook and to learn from them all the time. So I think overall it’s been a positive experience for me.”

As he received more and more time on the court, it became increasingly clear that Gabriel wasn’t just some athletic specimen who was merely taking up space in the rotation.

He showed good aptitude when it came to rebounding, defending, moving without the ball and finishing around the rim.

By adding strength to his frame and more consistency on his outside shot, Gabriel can be a contributor to the Lakers for years to come.

They signed him to a standard contract near the end of the schedule, and he will remain with them next season, assuming they pick up his team option.

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Lakers sign forward Wenyen Gabriel to new contract

The Lakers have secured forward Wenyen Gabriel’s immediate future with the team.

Wenyen Gabriel, a young forward whom the Los Angeles Lakers signed to a two-way deal about a month ago, has now agreed to a standard NBA contract to remain with the Purple and Gold.

Via Lakers Nation:

“The Los Angeles Lakers announced that they have signed forward Wenyen Gabriel to a standard NBA contract. The Lakers did not announce the terms of the deal, but it is reported to be a two-year deal with a team option for the 2022-23 season.”

Gabriel, 25, stands 6-foot-9 and has given the team an injection of energy and hustle since joining it.

He is somewhat raw, but he appears to have potential as a rotation player who contributes as a good team defender, 3-point shooter and finisher near the basket.

L.A. has been one of the oldest NBA teams ever this season. This move is a small step, but a step nonetheless in getting younger, something that is an absolute must if it will return to championship contention next year.

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Wenyen Gabriel is looking like a keeper for the Lakers

Forward Wenyen Gabriel has been playing well and giving the Lakers many of the qualities they lacked in a backup power forward.

When the 2021-22 NBA season started, the Los Angeles Lakers had one of the oldest rosters in league history, especially in the frontcourt.

It led to some memes and bad jokes about how elderly several members of the team were. Some of them, such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, who happen to be the two oldest players on the squad, fired back at the criticism, saying that they weren’t old but experienced.

Instead, the Lakers’ age became a problem, as they have been unable to play defense at a high level for 48 minutes and either hold on to leads or at least stay even with teams.

But now, L.A. has found a few young guns that have given it more energy, defense and fight, and one of them is 24-year-old forward Wenyen Gabriel.

Young role players have given Lakers a shot in the arm

Three unheralded fringe players have helped the Lakers look tougher and more energetic, not to mention younger of late.

When the roster for the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers was assembled, it made them one of the oldest teams in NBA history. Nine players were older than 30 and five were 35 or older.

Some on the team, including LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, its two oldest players, insisted their advanced age wouldn’t be a problem and it would actually help.

Well, it has been a problem. Multiple players, including forwards Trevor Ariza and Carmelo Anthony and center DeAndre Jordan, proved washed up or close to it.

But lately, there has been a change in Lakersland. Jordan was waived. Ariza is in the doghouse, and head coach Frank Vogel has been giving major playing time to three young players who, when the season started, looked like fringe NBA players at best.

It has taken a while, but the team as a whole has shown better energy and toughness in recent days. They defeated the Toronto Raptors, a squad that has been hot the last two months, on Friday, then beat another playoff-bound team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Monday.

Even when L.A. lost to the struggling Washington Wizards on Saturday, it looked very good for most of the first three quarters of the contest.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel likes Wenyen Gabriel’s energy

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is starting to take a liking to newcomer Wenyen Gabriel and the attributes he brings to the team.

Two weeks ago, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to take a flyer on Wenyen Gabriel, an undrafted forward who is in his third season in the NBA.

After giving him spot duty in his first few games, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel threw him into the fire on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, sending him onto the court for a total of 19 minutes.

He struggled offensively, making just one of his eight shots from the field, missing all three of his 3-point attempts and getting three of his overall shot attempts blocked.

However, Gabriel showed good energy and aggressiveness in other areas by grabbing nine rebounds and blocking one shot.

Vogel said after the game that he likes what Gabriel is bringing to his squad.

Via Lakersnation:

“I like the energy that Wenyen brings to our team,” Vogel said. “He plays super hard and has a pure attitude and is long and athletic. We need that type of length and athleticism at the forward position.

“He’s a little bit green in terms of being a young player, but definitely love his energy even though he didn’t make shots tonight.”

So far in his brief NBA career, Gabriel has gotten little playing time. But he has shown promise as a rebounder, 3-point shooter and even as a shot blocker.

At 6-foot-9, he can give L.A. some much-needed size and length up front, especially while Anthony Davis is out with a sprained foot.

The Lakers need more of a defensive presence and more accurate outside shooting from Gabriel, but much like forward Stanley Johnson was a couple of months ago, the 24-year-old is a breath of fresh air for a team that often looks physically and emotionally tired and defeated.

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Lakers news: Frank Vogel believes Wenyen Gabriel has ‘upside’

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is hopeful about the potential that forward Wenyen Gabriel, whom the team just signed, has to offer.

On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Wenyen Gabriel, a 6-foot-9 forward who has bounced around the NBA while getting spot duty over the last couple of seasons.

Head coach Frank Vogel feels the 24-year-old has upside as someone who can contribute.

Via LakersNation:

“Wenyen [Gabriel] is someone that we have been high on,” Vogel said. “Someone we believe has upside as a really athletic 6’9” 3-and-D type player.”

Perhaps the Lakers’ biggest weakness this season in regards to their roster is their frontcourt. Other than LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they entered the campaign relying on Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony and DeAndre Jordan, all of whom seem to be past their expiration dates.

L.A. has had success with taking flyers on undeveloped prospects such as Gabriel. Such a strategy worked extremely well a few years ago when Alex Caruso rose from the G League to become an important rotation player and a cult hero among Lakers fans.

This season, the team signed Stanley Johnson to multiple 10-day contracts and found that he can contribute, especially on the defensive end, which led to him copping a two-year deal.

Although Gabriel is on a two-way contract, Vogel has said that he believes the prospect will be with the Lakers full-time instead of yo-yo-ing between the G League and the big leagues.

Via LakersNation:

“We will give him a look,” Vogel said of Gabriel. “Hopefully, we can get some practice time. We can see him and see what he can do up close in person. He has a skill set that fits what we need. The successful stints have been with Bron, Russ and AD and the younger energetic guys. We’ll have to see what Wenyen brings to the table, but it is possible that he get in the rotation.”

The Lakers are still in need of a young, energetic big man who can comfortably play the 4 and possibly the 5 while being an asset on defense.

If Gabriel has plenty of work ethic and desire, perhaps he can fit that need.

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