Los Angeles Lakers: Don’t expect much out of Talen Horton-Tucker

After purchasing the 46th overall pick from the Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers selected guard Talen Horton-Tucker out of Iowa State.

The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2019 NBA Draft with no draft picks. The team had just traded its fourth overall pick to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis trade and needed draft picks to help fill out a roster with cheap players.

The Lakers were able to get one pick in the draft, the 46th overall pick, after purchasing it from the Orlando Magic. With said selection, the Lakers selected Iowa guard Talen Horton-Tucker, who is coming off his freshman season and is still just 18 years old.

There is immediate excitement from Horton-Tucker due to his fairly high potential, despite being a second-round pick, and his unique physical gifts.

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Horton-Tucker is a six-foot-five guard, which is typical in the NBA nowadays but boasts a staggering seven-foot-one wingspan. To compare, LeBron James has a seven-foot wingspan.

Horton-Tucker has the physical tools to be successful in the league and he showed a lot of flexibility in college. He showed signs of promise in running the point but because of his size, was able to play all the way down to a four in college. In the NBA, he will best be used as an off-ball guard.

And while the promise is there, I would not get overly excited about Horton-Tucker. The fact of the matter is that he is still 18 years old and has a long ways to go before becoming any sort of difference maker in the NBA.

Some fans might look at Josh Hart or Kyle Kuzma as counterpoints to this. Both were late first-round pick and far exceeded their expectations in the league. And while that is true, both had much more college experience than Horton-Tucker.

Kuzma was just about to turn 22 and had three seasons of college basketball under his belt, although he had four years at Utah because he redshirted his freshman year. Josh Hart had four years of college basketball under his belt, which included deep NCAA Tournament runs, and was 22 when he was drafted.

There is a huge difference and less of a progression time between a college senior and a college freshman. Horton-Tucker is still raw, and while it does not mean he can’t contribute, it just means that he is going to have more of a learning curve.

Because of his physical tools and his physical style of play, Horton-Tucker’s ceiling in 2019 is as a bench defender. If Horton Tucker can come off the bench in key moments and play solid defense in the backcourt, playing around 10-12 minutes per game, then it will be a huge win for the rookie.

Don’t expect much early out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ newest rookie. While it is easy to get excited, it will only lead to disappointment.

*Editor’s note: The article originally incorrectly referred to the NBA Draft as the NFL Draft.