Los Angeles Lakers: Talen Horton-Tucker’s performance in the bubble

Talen Horton-Tucker received some deserving playing time on the Los Angeles Lakers and proved he belongs.

Two weeks ago we talked about the condition he came in and the praised Talen Horton-Tucker earned since the Los Angeles Lakers entered the bubble in Orlando.

As a matter of fact, despite having played less than six minutes in the regular season before the hiatus, he recently received good playing time through the last seeding games and proved the work he has been putting in through the season is paying off.

Not counting the game against the Denver Nuggets, where he played just five minutes, through three games Tucker averaged 11.3 points per game in 23 minutes of action.

Particularly in the last one, with injuries and players resting, he was also a starter and had an overall very good game, scoring a career-high 14 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists, shooting 40 percent from three.

Among his teammates, he had the second-best Plus/Minus for players who had played at least 20 minutes. Furthermore, in his first and last game he had respectively four and three steals.

The weight-loss had its effect on the rookie, who looked incredibly mobile and quick. Penetration has been a big part of his offensive game. He competently navigated defenses dribbling with the unexpected confidence of a veteran, skillfully making use of crossovers to drive to the basket.

The new mobility helped him also on defense, which, combined with his wingspan, is set to make him a deadly stopper and versatile defender in the future.

As his work on the three-point was mentioned, Horton-Tucker shot 36 percent from three. Although not a spectacular percentage, his stroke looked solid. His commitment to improving his long-range game had been cited by head coach Frank Vogel, and it seems he is developing in the right direction.

A 3-and-D player is what he is expected to become, but, as previously pointed out, has been showing that he can become more than that.

Drafted at 46, Talen Horton-Tucker from Iowa State looked like an afterthought, with a team set to run for the championship.

Instead, among a highly productive G League season, he developed quickly, despite being the second-youngest player in the league. Through these games, he earned a role in Frank Vogel’s rotation and, in case of necessity, proved himself accountable for some playoff minute.

Along with Kyle Kuzma and Dion Waiters, THT has been a pleasant surprise for the Los Angeles Lakers through this stretch in the bubble. Player development has not been a priority for the Lakers this season, but they have not neglected it, especially for him, the only promising youngster on the roster.

Hopefully, he will become a rotation player next year and add another weapon to a championship-caliber roster.