Lake Show Life
Fansided

4 former Lakers who thrived last season and 2 who fell flat

By Jason Reed

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - APRIL 04: Talen Horton-Tucker #0 of the Utah Jazz drives into Dennis Schroder #17 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of a game at Vivint Arena on April 04, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - APRIL 04: Talen Horton-Tucker #0 of the Utah Jazz drives into Dennis Schroder #17 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of a game at Vivint Arena on April 04, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /
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Talen Horton-Tucker Lakers
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) – Talen Horton-Tucker Lakers /

Former Lakers player who fell flat: Talen Horton-Tucker

Ironically, the Lakers chose Talen Horton-Tucker over Caruso during the 2021 offseason. Los Angeles had the means to afford both THT and Caruso that offseason but wanted to avoid the luxury tax implications of bringing both players back.

Thus, the team chose to re-sign the then-20-year-old who had not proven anything at the NBA level solely based on the potential the team thought he had. Don’t get it twisted, Lakers fans were buying into THT’s potential as well but the contract still never made sense.

THT was not ready to contribute in a playoff rotation for the Lakers and by the time he did eventually develop, it was probably going to be away from Los Angeles anyway as he only signed a three-year deal.

Horton-Tucker has a strong foundation but he proved again this past season that he is still years away from reaching that potential. The 22-year-old had a very similar season for the Utah Jazz as he had with the Lakers, justifying the team’s decision to trade him (even if Beverley didn’t quite work out).

The fourth-year wing averaged 10.7 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. He continued to be inefficient on the offense end, shooting just 41.9% from the field and 28.6% from three. His defense was fine but it did not make up for his lack of an offensive impact as he finished the season with a -1.6 Box Plus/Minus (zero is considered average).

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