Talen Horton-Tucker was not a very well-known player when he became a part of the Los Angeles Lakers. Horton-Tucker was the 46th overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft to the Orlando Magic. The Lakers would go on to exchange a 2020 second-round pick and cash considerations to add Talen to the team.
Up to this point, Horton-Tucker has been an incredible return on the investment that the Lakers made on him. Although he has spent most of his NBA career with the Lakers G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, it seems that good things will be coming Talen’s way in the near future.
In a recent interview on former Laker Danny Green’s podcast “Inside the Green Room”, Jared Dudley was quoted as saying He would be shocked if Talen Horton Tucker was not a starter for the Los Angeles Lakers by next season.
The full transcript from the podcast says,
Dudley: “And the biggest thing, and there’s been whispers, but this kid Talen… Talen Horton-Tucker, bruh, I mean it’s ridiculous. He’s gotta play. I don’t know what Frank Vogel, Rob Pelinka gotta do, this kid has to play. He’s gotta play NOW. It’s ridiculous. His scoring ability, he brings a facet to the game that we don’t have. His confidence, I know he may have just turned 20 and I’ll be shocked if he’s not starting next year. I’m throwing that out there.”
Danny: “Nah, he’s talented man, you know that kid has got it.”
Dudley: “Yes.”
Danny: “And you know when a kid has got game, and I agree with you man, he’s tough. And I agree with you, he’s an X-factor for sure.”
It is clear that the Los Angeles Lakers have something special in Talen Horton-Tucker
Horton-Tucker only played in regular-season games for the Lakers in his rookie season, starting in one. In that season, he averaged 5.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. While being a relative non-factor in the regular season, Horton-Tucker made a big impact when he was given floor time during the playoffs.
He only played in two games during the playoffs, both being against the Houston Rockets. Even though Horton-Tucker only totaled 17 minutes in the playoffs, he still totaled 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.
This season, Horton-Tucker is seeing the most time on the floor in his career. He is up to 16 minutes per game after putting on a very impressive preseason. Talen has been productive with the extra time he has been seeing. He now averages 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Horton-Tucker is another diamond in the rough type of player that the Lakers have had the pleasure of molding into what could be a future All-Star in the future.
It seems that the sky is the limit for Talen Horton-Tucker and he will be seeing more and more minutes as his career continues.