Lakers G Talen Horton-Tucker is Blossoming Before Our Eyes

Talen Horton-Tucker with Iowa State in 2019
Talen Horton-Tucker with Iowa State in 2019. Photo by Kendall Shaw/CSM/Shutterstock (10158121ac)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker is improving game after gameā€”and it may be time for people to keep an eye on him.

20 years old and determined to prove himself, Horton-Tucker was originally drafted by the Lakers late in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft. Since then, there have been whispers about his raw unique talent, but he didn’t get much playing time in the 2019-20 season due to being overshadowed by a stacked roster.

But this season, it appears that Laker head coach Frank Vogel has decided to give him more playing time. In his limited moments on the floor this season, Horton-Tuckerā€”or THT, as people call himā€”has shown sparks of brilliance.

Such was certainly the case in the Lakers’ win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, when he posted a career-high 17 points, to go with five rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Oh yeah, and he did it while playing only 21 minutes.

Fellow superstar teammate LeBron James had this to say about THT in a video interview after the game: ā€œHe does it on both sides of the floor. And then he just listens. Heā€™s a sponge. Whatever you say to him, heā€™s going to apply it.” James later added, “For a kid thatā€™s still growing into his own … heā€™s beyond his years.ā€

Horton-Tucker is quite confident in his abilities as well, stating the following: ā€œI feel like you can put me anywhere on the court. You can put me on any group that we have, and I feel like I can get some things done and just help us win the game.”