Talen Horton-Tucker
THT was number one on this list until news came out that he suffered a torn ligament in his thumb that will require surgery. Horton-Tucker is out at least six weeks, if not longer, limiting his overall value to the Lakers. Still, when he comes back from injury, he’ll be the closest player Frank Vogel has to Alex Caruso.
Alex Caruso didn’t score the way Kyle Kuzma did. Nor did he hit big three-pointers like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It didn’t matter, though. His lockdown ability on defense, coupled with his hustle and IQ, made him the Lakers’ most valuable role player over the last couple of seasons, and it wasn’t even close.
Talen Horton-Tucker will have to step up and take over Alex Caruso’s high energy/lockdown/make the right play role.
Will he be able to fill AC’s shoes? The answer is, no.
The Lakers will miss Caruso more than most people realize. He consistently came in and threw a bucket of ice water on the opposing squad’s hottest point guard. Caruso had a knack for smothering smaller flame throwers like Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and Jamaal Murray. Still, AC wasn’t perfect; nobody is. He struggled against larger wings like Kawhi Leonard, Jayson Tatum, and even Brandon Ingram.
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That is where Lakers management expects Talen Horton-Tucker to step up and show his value. You know his measurements. He’s 6-4, 235 pounds, with a 7-1 reach. He’s one of the rare players in the NBA, with the speed, weight, and height to bother the best wings in the world.
THT will have to break some of the young guy bad habits he has shown over the last couple of years. He NEEDS to stop bulldozing his way toward the rack every chance he gets (He is shooting less than 40 percent from the field throughout the preseason). Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, and LeBron James are all more capable of creating in the lane than he is at this stage of his career.
He also NEEDS to improve upon his miserable 28 percent three-point hit rate from last season. THT NEEDS to connect on something like 35 percent from deep to keep opposing defenders honest. But, most importantly, he NEEDS to recognize that on this version of the Lakers, he’s a defensive role player whose job is to come in and hound the opposition.
That is a lot of needs for young Horton-Tucker.
Lakers management bet on him by giving him the fourth-highest salary on the team (three years, $30 million). I’m betting on THT too. I think he’ll show up from day one, more mature, understanding that he might be a future All-Star, but this is a championship squad, and Frank Vogel is counting on him to defend like a beast in the half-court so LeBron can run the show on offense.