With the Los Angeles Lakers already missing All-Star big man Anthony Davis, the loss of point guard Dennis Schroder further depleted their lineup against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. The Lakers could not overcome the absence of these two starters and fell to the Nets, 109-98, for their eighth loss of the season.
One player who received extended minutes against the Nets was sophomore guard Talen Horton-Tucker, who finished with nine points, two rebounds, five assists, and a block in 28 minutes of action off the bench.
With Schroder being held out due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols and with no clear timetable for his return, the 20-year-old could receive more playing time in the Lakers’ upcoming games. After the loss to the Nets, head coach Frank Vogel spoke about possibly giving THT more playing time:
https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1362656875116851202
With Davis and Schroder out, Vogel will continue to look for the right lineup combinations as he did against Brooklyn. Tucker will likely get more opportunities to play and see longer time on the court, but it also means more responsibility for the Iowa State product.
Tucker has shown flashes of brilliance and received praise in the limited time that he has played for the defending champions, averaging 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 44.7% from the field in 16.5 minutes per game of play.
THT has already given the Lakers quality minutes, and if he can continue doing that and help the team remain near the top of the Western Conference, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Vogel reward him with more playing time, now and down the road.
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