The Los Angeles Lakers recently acquired Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz in return for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson. The trade caught many by surprise, as Horton-Tucker is a 21-year old with a high-ceiling. But a revelation in reference to his time in LA recently came to surface, per Lakers Daily and the Ringer's Chris Vernon.
“When I talked to some people connected to Horton-Tucker, he was kind of on an island in the sense of he’s like the only young guy,” Vernon said. “He didn’t have buddies to go run around with. This is an old team with a bunch of veteran guys. He didn’t have a bunch of friends.”
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Ot0D0tHM49p8zV7PPjmUp?si=3ac20f9ca16f4125
The Lakers were known for having a number of older players on their roster last year. Meanwhile, Talen Horton-Tucker won't be 22 until November of this year. So it makes sense that he felt alone on the Lakers.
In the end, this is probably a trade that will benefit all parties involved in the long run. Patrick Beverley provides the Lakers with a talented guard who is not afraid to play physical defense. He also gives them another starting option should they decide to move on from Russell Westbrook.
For Talen Horton-Tucker, he gets a fresh start in Utah along with teammate Stanley Johnson. Horton-Tucker could emerge as a star down the road in Utah. And he might even become the face of the franchise at some point if the Jazz trade Donovan Mitchell.
Talen Horton-Tucker has the potential to succeed in the NBA. This change may be exactly what he needed.
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