Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Reasons to like the Talen Horton-Tucker pick

– Young with potential to improve

While most players that get drafted are very young, Horton-Tucker was one of the youngest drafted in 2019. Horton-Tucker won’t be turning 19 years old until the season actually starts, as there is going to be a lot of room for improvement with such a young player.

Considering he was playing basketball at 17-years-old in college for the early part of the season, Horton-Tucker was able to have a strong freshman season. At Iowa State, Horton-Tucker averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 rebounds per game.

After a really strong start to the season in the first couple of months, Horton-Tucker might have worn down a bit like some young freshman tend to do. In November and December, Horton-Tucker was averaging over 14 points per game.

However, when 2019 came around, Horton-Tucker’s minutes and production did slide a bit. As just an 18-year-old, Horton-Tucker might have worn down a bit with the grind of a full season. As a large guard, conditioning will be something that he has to work on moving forward.

The Lakers have done a very good job the past few seasons developing their draft picks. As their only draft pick this season, Horton-Tucker’s development will certainly be something the organization works hard at.