Following an impressive display of skill in his second game of the preseason, shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker already has Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel in distress as he considers his rotation.
The second-year guard was able to fire the Lakers to a 131-106 win on Sunday against city rivals LA Clippers registering 33 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steal in that game.
When asked what role will be given to the guard, Vogel said: “It’s going to make my job difficult for sure.”
The 20-year-old guard, who could also be deployed as a small forward, was picked by the Lakers with the No. 46 picks in the 2019 NBA draft. He was able to show his ability to the max as the Lakers were missing some major players. LeBron James, Wesley Matthews, Anthony Davis, and Dennis Schroder have all rested for the game as Devontae Cacok and Kostas Antetokounmpo also missed the game due to the health and safety protocols of the league, and jeux casino had noted this previously.
This handed Horton-Tucker almost 41 minutes to play, which is more than half of the 82 minutes he registered in his entire rookie campaign.
Vogel continued: “We have a very deep team. No minutes are guaranteed. He’s going to keep playing at a high level, and that should push everybody else to stay playing at a high level. It does give us that luxury of having him carries the load some for some of our guys who played deep in the championship run last year and had a short offseason.”
The Los Angeles Lakers will be going into the 2020/21 campaign as the defending champions of the NBA, this will see those welcoming lots of challenges, and having a player like Horton-Tucker on the roster will be amazing.
The 20-year-old guard can be played when the major stars are being rested. He should have a great effect on the team’s locker room.
While the game was ongoing, James was seen on the sidelines all night long, mimicking how Horton-Tucker managed to flick his wrist to register a shot in traffic, making expressions with his face after making a steal and finishing on the opposite end. James was delighted and amazed by the talent shown by the 20-year-old guard that night and usa online casino are willing to place a bet on his future.
Speaking to the media, Horton-Tucker, who is an Iowa prospect, said: “I look at it as a blessing. It’s actually crazy because I feel like what other 19-, 20-year-old gets this experience in the world? Not too many. So just being able to take everything in and learn from it every day, seeing other superstars’ kind of notice it is actually pretty good.”
Horton-Tucker stands 6-foot-4 and he has been able to use that to his advantage making plays on the defensive end.
Lakers coach Vogel added: “Obviously he’s still young and he’s going to make some mistakes from time to time, but he has as much defensive talent as he does offensive talent. So I feel like he’s going to fit in well for us.”