Talen Horton-Tucker is turning into an important piece of the puzzle for the Los Angeles Lakers. The 20-year-old sophomore, who was the 46th overall draft pick in 2019, is showing he was a hidden gem.
According to LeBron James, the Lakers are very lucky to have been able to draft Horton-Tucker so late in the draft. The four-time NBA champion sees a bright feature for his young teammate.
“We talked about this the whole year. Let’s be honest, if you go back in the draft and redo the draft from last year, Talen Horton-Tucker would not go in the second round,” James said after Horton-Tucker scored 16 points for the Lakers in a win over the Timberwolves. “We’re super duper lucky and blessed to be able to grab him when we were able to grab him out of Iowa State.
“His ability to get downhill, to read, his ability to get to the lane and finish or his ability to make the extra passes. He’s a big guard but with a great handle, with great poise and great balance. You’re just mentioning those other guys. Like I said, it’s Talen’s rookie year too pretty much. He’s learning. He’s come to want to continue to get better. But he’s a damn good player right now. And he’s going to just continue to get better and better.
In previous game against the Golden State Warriors, the 20-year-old guard had a career-high 18 points. This season, he is averaging 7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 18 minutes per game.
