Gabe Vincent has learned to ride the breeze during this first season as a regular Miami Heat contributor, but he also appreciates the winds can shift quickly.
So over the past week, there were 29 minutes as the starting point guard in last Saturday’s home victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, three minutes as a reserve in Monday’s blowout of the Houston Rockets at FTX Arena, and then 30 minutes as a starting shooting guard in Wednesday’s home loss to the Phoenix Suns.
That took him into Friday night unsure if playing time would be there, largely dependent on Jimmy Butler’s battle with the sinus congestion that had Butler out Wednesday.
“You try to prepare the same way every time, I think, at least for me, to keep from it being too drastically different,” Vincent said after Friday morning’s shootaround, ahead of Friday night’s game against the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers. “But it can be starting, it could be coming off the bench. It could be not playing for a week or two. Like, I never know. Those decisions are above me.
“So I just try to do my best to put myself in the best position possible to be the best version of myself for my teammates.”
Entering Friday, it had been a mostly even split, with 24 starts in his 58 appearances, but with the knowledge that when all is healthy and whole with the Heat roster, his place is with the reserves.
A place, he said, is particularly comfortable.
“It’s almost like we have two separate teams, from our first unit to second unit, even some things we so defensively, to even how the ball may move offensively,” he said. “So we kind of hit people differently with that. It’s like a one-two punch.
“And when we get rolling, we can really catch teams by surprise, and buy our first unit some time to come back in and play the way they play. So we try to mix it up. And our chemistry is growing throughout the year. It started this summer, and it’s only getting better.”
Now it comes with an embrace of Victor Oladipo, as Oladipo completes his first week back from last May’s quadriceps surgery.
“I think it’s naturally something that will kind of grow with time, obviously like the rest of our second unit has,” Vincent, 25, said of Oladipo finding his second-unit comfort zone. “We’ve had some time together, in practices and whatnot. But with our schedule, there’s not too many of those going on.
“So we’re continuing to grow. The relationship off the court is great. So I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
For Vincent, it in many ways the season has become defined by his scoring bursts. And when things are going particularly well, teammates have taken to calling him Nnamdi, his middle name and the name he puts on his jersey with the Nigerian national team.
“I read something the other day about transition in life, and how sometimes you may need a new name, as part of that,” he said. “So when I read that, the first thing I thought of was Nnamdi. I love it. The guys love it.
“When I start scoring, they get all excited and start calling me Nnamdi. It’s fun. Obviously, the fans have had a good time with it. I enjoy it.”
Some Guy time
In his first game with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Heat two-way guard Kyle Guy closed with 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting (2 of 8 on 3-pointers) in a 116-112 loss to the Austin Spurs.
Guy was sent to the Skyforce this week after Kyle Lowry returned from a weeklong absence due to family reasons, leaving the Heat backcourt mostly whole.
One of the Skyforce’s better performances in the loss came from former Heat guard Mario Chalmers, who closed with 17 points, 10 assists and five steals.
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