There wasn’t much to take away from the Los Angeles Lakers’ 87-81 win in their first preseason game of the new season. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marc Gasol, and Markieff Morris were all held out for rest, giving the Lakers ample time to play some of their younger players alongside new additions like Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder, and Wesley Matthews.
One thing that did stand out was the play of second-year guard Talen Horton-Tucker. THT, who spent most of the season in the G League last year, recorded 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals on the night, tantalizing everyone with his display despite having some trouble finishing around the basket and shooting the ball.
The 20-year-old was seemingly on all of his teammates’ minds after the game, receiving praise from head coach Frank Vogel and fourth-year vet Kyle Kuzma during media availability after the game:
Frank Vogel liked what he saw from THT tonight:
"We want to put the ball in his hands in pick and rolls a lot… He didn't even finish well tonight at the rim and still had 19 points."
— Preseason Faigen (@hmfaigen) December 12, 2020
Kyle Kuzma likes what he's seen from THT over the last year.
"He's gonna be a great player. He's extremely young, but he has a certain type of poise and maturity to his game… He's a sponge… I expect big things in his future."
— Preseason Faigen (@hmfaigen) December 12, 2020
Talen, who was the 46th overall pick in the draft last year, also got the LeBron and Jared Dudley Twitter treatment after the game:
That boy @Thortontucker is goin to be special! 🤫
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) December 12, 2020
Telling you right now! This kid is flat out SPECIAL! Mark my words https://t.co/KOYtlFxNVV
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 12, 2020
We should all temper expectations given this was just a preseason game but it’s easy to see why Horton-Tucker’s teammates and coaches are enamored with him. His physical tools, ball-handling, and generally good instincts and pace of play are just unique attributes for a player of his age. If he consistently is able to score the basketball, there is a real chance that he can have a very long career in the league.
For now, the Lakers will be bringing him along slowly, given the talent available on the roster, an asset for Horton-Tucker to learn from. Considering the maturity and poise he showed going against a couple of stars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, it’s only a matter of time before he forces his coaches’ hands to play him more.
