The Los Angeles Lakers found Talen Horton-Tucker in the NBA Draft. Didn’t they develop Alex Caruso too?
Most championship teams rarely have time to develop young players during their run. The Los Angeles Lakers have developed two players that command minutes in Frank Vogel’s rotation.
The franchise is walking a fine line between the “Win now” philosophy in LeBron’s window and retaining their young talent to build around Anthony Davis in a few years. Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker are the only young players on this roster that teams will theoretically be willing to make a deal for and THT is set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason.
Talen Horton-Tucker:
The Lakers have already showed their hand with their plans for Horton-Tucker. Toronto wanted him included in the Kyle Lowry deal and that was never going to happen. If it did, Lowry probably would be the starting point guard now.
The consequence of that decision is opening up the checkbook to pay him in the offseason. If the “Poison Pill” contract comes into play, it will be a huge bill for a player that many NBA teams covet.
While the Lakers do not have a draft pick in the 2021 NBA Draft (AD trade!), expect to see the Lakers do their homework on some potential late first-round, early second-round guards.
Then pull off a draft night trade to acquire a young prospect in the second-round this year at the expense of cash considerations. It happened two years ago with a young player out of Iowa State.
Get the connection?
Alex Caruso:
Let’s not start with the tired “Alex Caruso is a player that worked his way up the G-League route into the hearts of the Los Angeles Lakers and its fans”.
Alex Caruso is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers because he is a star in his role and he fits the type of player that plays well with LeBron James. He hustles on defense, plays the right way and does the little things needed to make sure the Lakers are successful. Oh by the way, he’s been in the league less than three years.
Now does he need to be locked in a gym this summer shooting 1,500 to 2,000 shots a day? Absolutely. But if his jumper does improve along with some development with Phil Handy, he can easily fill the void of Dennis Schroder.
Plus, fans might need to check the track record of the scouting staff and the continued success of the South Bay Lakers. These are guards. Devontae Cacok is a product of the Lakers farm system and has been productive when he had the chance.
In other words, let the front office and scouting team quarterback this. Be patient.
No matter if Schroder stays or not, the Lakers will have opportunities to add more youthful talent to their roster, which is exactly what they should try to do, especially if it will not cost them much in terms of giving up some cash for a second-round pick (THT’s price!).