2. Talen Horton-Tucker can improve his mid-range game
Horton-Tucker may be very effective at seeking the rim, but as of now, his overall offensive game is not exactly well-rounded.
Opposing teams have now gotten smart and are sometimes successful at keeping him out of the paint. When he can’t get to the rim or near it, he’s about as effective at scoring as former “American Idol” contestant William Hung is at singing (Google him if you don’t remember him).
An effective counter to teams building a wall would be a mid-range game. Adding a jumper in that 10-18 foot area, a floater and/or a runner would do wonders for Horton-Tucker’s overall value.
So far this season, he’s making just 36.3 percent of his shots from 3-10 feet away from the basket. From 10-16 feet away, he’s shooting 36.0 percent this year. As TNT’s Charles Barkley would say, that’s turrrrrible.
Being able to pull up and score from mid-range will prevent defenders from sagging off him and protecting the paint, which would make it easier for him to slip past them or use the Euro step to get to the cup.