mobile app bar

“Talen Horton-Tucker has earned his chances”: LeBron James wants Lakers youngster to carve out a place for himself in their rotation

Amulya Shekhar
Published

"Talen Horton-Tucker has earned his chances": LeBron James wants Lakers youngster to carve out a place for himself in their rotation

After leading the Lakers to a 4-2 record with his first triple-double of the season, LeBron James heaped praise on Talen Horton-Tucker.

The 20-year-old burst onto the limelight during the bubble in Orlando last year. Horton-Tucker played significant minutes in the seeding games. His performances led to him seeing the floor against James Harden and co in the playoffs.

Horton-Tucker was even better in the Lakers’ preseason campaign as they went 4-0. The 6’4″ guard averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4 assists per game in 31 minutes through 4 preseason games. Many tipped him to take on a more important role with the Lakers this season.

Also Read: “Russ, what do you do?”: Bradley Beal explains why he imitated Russell Westbrook’s rock the cradle celebration in Wizards win

The Lakers haven’t been able to afford him too much playing time this season so far. They’ve been involved in a couple of close games. But Horton-Tucker got his chance against the Spurs last night, and made it count.

LeBron James believes Talen Horton-Tucker has a lot to give to the Lakers

In the post-game presser last night, James was asked about what THT could bring to the table for the Lakers. He replied thus:

“Well I think every game is an example, a teaching moment for him. I’ve always lived by the phrase that the best teacher in life is experience. He’s experiencing some great moments as a pro. He’s going to continue to learn, he’s going to continue to get the opportunities because he’s earned it.”

Also Read: “Michael Jordan kept all the bad stuff in the locker room”: Charles Barkley explains what lessons the Bulls gave the NBA through The Last Dance

THT seems to be trending towards getting more and more playing time. There have been rumors around the league that the Lakers are holding him back just for squad strength. A lot of scouts believe the Iowa State product could be averaging in the neighborhood of 20 points per game for a tanking team.

About the author

Amulya Shekhar

Amulya Shekhar

x-iconfacebook-iconlinkedin-icon

Amulya Shekhar is a sports junkie who thrives on the thrills and frills of live sports action across basketball, football (the American variant works too), parkour, adventure sports. He believes sports connect us to our best selves, and he hopes to help people experience sports more holistically.

Share this article