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LOS ANGELES – Second-year guard Talen Horton-Tucker’s standout second game of the preseason already has Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel scratching his head over his rotation.
“It’s sure going to make my job difficult,” Vogel said when asked how he will find a role for Horton-Tucker after dominating the LA Clippers with 33 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in a 131- 106. win on Sunday.
Horton-Tucker, selected by the Lakers as the 46th pick in the 2019 draft, was able to show himself in large part because of who LA was missing. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Wesley Matthews and Dennis Schroder had the night off to rest, and Kostas Antetokounmpo and Devontae Cacok were scraped late due to “league health and safety protocols,” according to Vogel.
That left 41 minutes available for Horton-Tucker to play, more than half of the 81 minutes he logged in his entire rookie season, in which he racked up plus-minus plus-36.
“We have a very deep team. There are no guaranteed minutes,” Vogel said. “He’s going to continue to play at a high level, and that should push everyone else to continue to play at a high level. He gives us the luxury of him carrying the burden of some of our guys who played deeply in the championship race.” . last year and had a short offseason. “
In an unprecedented season in which the Lakers and the NBA are embarking on 2020-21, having someone like Horton-Tucker on the roster is a blessing. You can complete when the stars rest, as Vogel alluded to. He is another capable body if COVID-19 hits the locker room. And, particularly in the case of a veteran team like the Lakers, the energy generated by watching a 20-year-old make his way through the league seems to have rubbed off on the group.
James was demonstrative on the sidelines all night, rising from his seat to mimic Horton-Tucker flickering his wrist to finish off a shot in traffic, shaking his head in amazement after a robbery and finishing on the other end and even taking his head off. . mask to nail him to the bench as he scored a touchdown when the Iowa State product scored another bucket.
“I see it as a blessing,” said Horton-Tucker, who is commonly referred to as “THT.” “It’s actually crazy because I feel like other 19 or 20 year olds have this experience in the world. Not too many. So being able to take it all in and learn from it every day, seeing other superstars get noticed. It’s actually quite a bit Okay “.
Standing 6ft 4in tall but 7ft1 wingspan, Horton-Tucker has shown a knack for using that reach to make plays on the defensive end.
“Obviously, he’s still young and he’ll make a few mistakes from time to time, but he’s got both defensive and offensive talent,” Vogel said. “So I feel like it’s going to fit in well with us.”
His potential is already beginning to mirror another defensive-minded young guard for the Lakers who went from the G League two years ago to starting Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat: Alex Caruso.
“Everyone’s journey is different, but I feel like AC is pretty good,” Horton-Tucker said. “Just being able to see him by my side every day gives you a good yardstick to see where you are individually. So just being able to have a guy like that and see the success he’s had gives me confidence in myself. I can do the same. “
