Lakers: 5 things Talen Horton-Tucker needs to improve to be an all-star

The Los Angeles Lakers and their fans are focused on the present, and with good reason. Superstar big man Anthony Davis is close to finally returning from a calf strain, and team leader LeBron James might be a couple of weeks away from coming back himself.

Once the squad is whole again, they’ll be the favorites to repeat as NBA champs or at least reach the NBA Finals.

However, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the future of the Los Angeles Lakers.

James is 36 years old and has an incredible amount of mileage. As much as we enjoy watching him dominate on a nightly basis, he needs to be preserved as much as reasonably possible to help keep him fresh for the playoffs, not just this year, but the next two seasons as well.

Preserving James may also extend his prime a bit. I’d absolutely love to get two more elite or near-elite seasons out of him after this one, as it would all but ensure the Lakers will contend for the world championship in 2022 and ’23.

To do so, the team needs to reduce his responsibilities, especially when it comes to advancing the ball upcourt, attacking and scoring.

Starting point guard Dennis Schroder has been doing a solid job of that, but the other man who can help in this area is Talen Horton-Tucker.

He is in his second season and is just 20 years of age, yet this season he is starting to truly show what he’s capable of as an attack guard who gets to the rim easily and scores.

For the Purple and Gold to remain at or near the top of the NBA for the foreseeable future, especially after LeBron declines or leaves, Horton-Tucker will need to develop into a very good and consistent force. This is even more important when one considers the lack of first-round draft picks the team will have in the next few years.

There are five areas, in particular, he needs to improve on to become an All-Star level player for years to come.