LOS ANGELES — Reserve guard Gabe Vincent will reportedly have surgery on his left knee that could potentially keep him sidelined for the next 1½ months.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday morning that Vincent will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his knee as soon as Tuesday.
Vincent wasn’t available for Monday’s Christmas Day matchup versus the Boston Celtics because of the left knee effusion (swollen joint) that previously sidelined him for seven weeks. He was downgraded from probable to doubtful before eventually being ruled out an hour before tipoff for Saturday’s road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Coach Darvin Ham said Saturday that Vincent is experiencing “a little bit of swelling” and that the team was figuring out the next steps.
Before returning in the road loss to the Chicago Bulls last Wednesday, Vincent had been limited to just four games. He missed the previous 24 (including the In-Season Tournament championship game that didn’t count in the standings).
Vincent played 14 minutes against the Bulls, recording three points and three assists, but didn’t play in Thursday’s road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves – the second night of a back-to-back.
Vincent, who the Lakers signed to a three-year, $33 million contract as a free agent during the offseason, came into the season as the primary backup guard.