It’s definitely premature and disrespectful of proven veteran teammates but I’m going to say it anyway: 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker is the future at point guard for the Lakers and could be the starter sometime this season.
In four preseason games, Talen averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals in 31.6 minutes per game, ranking 2nd in points, 2nd in rebounds, 4th in assists, 1st in steals, and 1st in plus/minus for the team. And these were not hollow stats posted in garbage time minutes as Talen was a major force in the Lakers’ undefeated preseason, highlighted by a 33 point, 10 rebound, 4 assist, and 4 steal performance against the Clippers.
Yes, it’s only been four preseason games but the improvement in Talen’s game at both ends of the court has been unprecedented for a second round draft pick. His newfound confidence and skill level are off the charts. The Lakers’ coaching staff and players say what everyone’s seen Horton-Tucker do in his brief debut in the playoffs and this preseason, he has been doing everyday in practice and scrimmages since last season in the bubble.
There are five reasons why Talen is the future starter at point guard for the Lakers: his elite ability to get to the rim and finish, run the pick-and-roll, make plays for others, create steals and turnovers, and shoot the three ball.
1. Ability to Get to the Rim and Finish
The first thing that jumps out at you about Talen Horton-Tucker is the ability of his powerful 234 pound body to absorb contact at the rim and use his freakish length and acrobatic athleticism to finish highlight reel layups. Blessed with a 7′ 1″ wingspan, hands almost as big as Kawhi Leonard, and the biggest body of any NBA player his height, the 6′ 4″ Horton-Taylor is a tireless juggernaut that relentlessly and fearlessly attacks the basket.
With elite physical skills and shifty moves, Talen has the potential to be one of the hardest players in the league to stop from getting to the basket. He’s an unstoppable attack dog with unique ability to get to the rim at will.
2. Ability to Run the Pick-and-Roll
One of the key skills that make Talen incredibly difficult to defend is his savvy ability on pick-and-rolls to use his handle, strength, and change of pace to put and keep his defender in jail as he navigates through the paint. While he’s not fast or quick, Horton-Tucker’s strong body, long arms, and big hands make him a nightmare matchup for most point guards and impossible to control in the lane where he’s a lethal threat to score or pass.
Talen’s gravity as a finisher and uncanny court vision let him to use pick-and-rolls to create opportunities for others in the paint or on the perimeter and his huge hands and long arms enable him to find them in traffic.
3. Ability to Make Plays for Others
Make no mistake, Talen Horton-Tucker is not going to be a pass-first point guard. His future is clearly as a shoot-first point guard whose threat as a big time scorer is going to demand other teams’ attention and best defenders. Unlike most young high powered scorers, Talen has great court vision and willingness to make the right play when a teammate is open, whether the result of him being in attack mode or a simple hockey pass to the corner.
Talen’s elite passing repertoire includes all the weapons a great playmaker needs, including pinpoint pocket passes in the pick-and-roll, drive-and-kick passes to wide open 3-point shooters, or lobs to bigs for dunks at the rim.
4. Ability to Create Steals and Turnovers
Defense has been how 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker has earned minutes on the Lakers’ 10-deep championship roster. His weapons are a 6′ 4″ 234 lb body, 7′ 1″ wingspan, and ‘Klaw’ sized hands to create steals and turnovers. His elite arm length and hand size enable him to hound ball handlers and deflect passes, tip balls from dribblers, and rip the ball out of players’ hands like he did while defending Kawhi in preseason game against the Clippers.
Talen’s outlier physical metrics and defensive potential were what first brought him to the attention of NBA scouts. His team best 2.3 steals per game in preseason show how far he’s grown under the Lakers’ tutelage.
5. Ability to Shoot the Three Ball
The biggest surprise since his rookie year is Horton-Tucker’s improvement as 3-point shooter, hitting 2 of 5 (40%) in his 17 minutes in two playoff games and 7 of 13 in his 127 (53.8%) minutes in four preseason games. Talen’s improved 3-point shooting showed how hard he worked on his shot as he only made 49 out of 159 threes (30.8%) in his one year at Iowa State and 72 of 233 threes (30.9%) in his 38 game stint in the G-League last year.
If he can shoot the three well, there’s no limit to how far Talen can go. That he shot 90% from the line in preseason compared to 74% in the G-League and 62% at Iowa State gives hope his improved shooting may be legitimate.
Going from preseason sensation to regular season rotation player to starting point guard is a daunting challenge on any team much less on a deep and talented championship team but Talen has a chance to do it. The next step is taking over as the Lakers’ backup point guard and proving his preseason performance was not a fluke and the team can count on him to run the offense efficiently, rack up points, and defend at a high level
That Talen’s already knocking on the door is a luxury and miracle for a Lakers team already favored to repeat as champions. There are encouraging signs they may have already found their point guard of the future in THT.
Man, talk about the rich getting richer. It’s unbelievable that the Lakers may have unearthed and managed to keep the best of the many great late first round and early second round picks they’ve made the last few years.
I’m so impressed that I can’t help hyping and going glass overflowing about Talen Horton-Tucker. This kid is going to be the real deal and could be the point guard of the future for the Lakers and a potential superstar to play with Anthony Davis once LeBron James hangs up his sneakers at 40 years old.
What’s so impressive about Talen besides the ridiculous fact that he just turned 20-years old is how promising he is in so many areas. He definitely can play the 1, 2, and 3 and defend the 2 and 3. Like we always discuss, his ability to shoot from deep is going to be a big key to how far and fast he is going to improve.
The he shot 54.7% from the field, 53.8% (7 of 13) from three, and 17 of 19 (89.5%) from the line is encouraging. I think that 17 of 19 from the line is really impressive and shows his three ball might be legitimate. He could be one of those 50/40/90 guys down the line. He’s going to be our point guard of the future.
Good write up LT. I don’t know if he’ll be a fulltime PG but I share your enthusiasm regarding his potential. His ability to snake around defenders and use his long wing span to score is really impressive. I also love his demeanor. Very aggressive on the court and humble off it. A great combination.
Coach Vogel will have his work cut out for him trying to find PT for 11 guys.
Thanks, Lee. With his tool set, he could play the 1, 2, or even 3. He’s probably a better defender but a little short at the 2 or 3. May not be fast or quick enough to guard some point guards. In many ways, a typical ‘What position is this guy?’ type of player, probably why he fell to the second round. But man, do I love his game.
Way too early for any of the above. Has not had to perform in anything resembling crunch time, not even against Houston in then playoffs where he only got first half minutes. There’s a huge difference between seizing one’s opportunity and being assigned lofty titles. That’s how Magic broke Lonzo Ball in year one of his career and he may never be that guy. Really no need for anything like this at this point. Why is it so difficult for people to just be happy for a player and not shower them with unrealistic and un-needed praise and expectations? Never got that, still don’t get it, likely won’t ever get it. Let him earn this praise. I don’t giver out participation awards and that’s where THT is at right now.
Here are some facts:
-THT has played 98 minutes, including playoffs, of professional basketball that matters. 98 minutes and he’s our starting PG of the future? Incredible…
-THT isn’t quick enough or good enough on defense to guard most NBA point guards. Why anyone would want to put him in such a position to fail in is beyond me.
-THT has yet to make a major adjustment or be able to sustain a meaningful role as a professional NBA player. Outside of some scrap minutes last season, the 2 games against Houston in the playoffs THT has played well against a whopping 2 teams. In preseason. The Clippers, who are as concerned with preseason as we are (which is to say not at all), and Phoenix who might not make the playoffs in the west.
-THT is 9th or 10th on our depth chart. He won’t start this season, maybe…MAYBE…in games where LeBron sits. He will see time but not have the meaningful minutes he’s had in preseason. Who do I think is in front of THT?
LBJ, AD, Schroder, Gasol, KCP, Caruso, Kuzma, Matthews, Trezz and probably Markieff Morris. Now, because he can slot in at the 2,3, or even 4 given his stout body type and length, he’ll see time. But you don’t shell out millions in free agency and then relegate them to the bench because a 20 year old had a couple good games in preseason. That’s bad for business when it comes to free agency.
-The Lakers have made it known they hope to sign Schroder to a long term deal after the season. They’re not going to get that done by promising. him a lifetime role as a backup.
-I could go on but I like THT’s game and think he definitely contribute at this level but that’s as far as it goes until he shows me something real. In my opinion, he has not done that, yet.
That’s not supposition, except for the starting part but it’s doubtful he’ll outplay guys whom the Lakers are paying a lot more money for. Those are all the facts. This is preseason. Lets try and appreciate something called reality for once…
Here’s where I’ll hop off this train and leave this as something resembling a caveat: I hope THT plays so well for many, many games this season that he makes it difficult not to play him. But he won’t be starting any time soon, he may not even be a primary bench squad member this season simply because of our depth. One thing that should give the “THT Future HOFer!!!” fan club hope is that, when Vogel sees something in a player (like he did with Caruso) he gives them a shot to shine. That, however, is very different than anointing a player the next anything than what they truly are.
LOL. Remember this post later in the year when you want to get that ticket on the THT bandwagon and remember it was Frank Vogel himself who commented in the bubble that this dude is going to start for us next year.
Anyway, I understand your position and we’ll save you a seat on Talen’s train because we know it will safe to sit next to you because your glass is always empty.
C’mon Jamie, we have to project into the future a little bit. Otherwise we’ll just we’re just regurgitating facts. You know LT is prone to hyperbole (future superstar), so I’m definitely not going that far, but I’ve seen enough to feel comfortable saying his ability to create will earn him minutes at the expense of either Matthews, Caruso or Kuz at some point this season…and he will have a long NBA career.
Loving the GIF feature. Best way to respond to comments. Thanks, LRob.
Fan is derived from Fanatic and HYPERBOLE is my middle name.