Talen Horton-Tucker is getting plenty of buzz around the Lakers in the bubble https://t.co/DLEyciNisx via @LakersSBN
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 23, 2020
Lakers rookie Talen Horton-Tucker might be the breakout star of the team’s mid-season training camp.
The Lakers’ rookie has clearly lost a ton of weight, and it’s not the only way he’s making an impression on the purple and gold as they look to restart the season. Head coach Frank Vogel singled out Horton-Tucker as a player having “a great camp” for the team after the coaching staff didn’t get a ton of time with him while he spent most of the year in the G League. And in his first chance in months to impact how the organization sees him, Horton-Tucker is taking advantage.
“His body changed,” Vogel said. “(He) dropped a lot of weight, got himself in great shape… He also did a lot of work on his shot. His perimeter shot really has improved throughout the course of this year and because of those two things, he’s had some success.
“It’s really brought a lot of confidence to him as a young player, and that’s what’s showing up right now, is how confident he’s playing. He’s playing beyond his years in these practices and scrimmages.”
But while Horton-Tucker may be playing beyond his years right now, that doesn’t mean he’s immune to being treated like a rookie. In that aforementioned video from McGee, Horton-Tucker can be seen carrying his teammates bags — “rookie duties,” said McGee — and he still gets “picked on a little bit and just treated like a rookie,” according to Vogel.
Man, I’ve loved this kid from the day we draft him. 7′ 1″ wingspan and hands as big as Kawhi Leonard’s Klaws. Another player who took advantage of the layoff to lose weight and get into great shape. Loved hearing his outside shot was starting to fall. It’s going to be fun to finally see him get a chance to play. We’re down two rotation guards so THT should see some minutes. I’ll be rooting for him to force his way into the rotation.