Talen Horton-Tucker‘s breakout season for the Los Angeles Lakers will have to wait.
On Tuesday, the team announced that Horton-Tucker underwent successful surgery “to repair the ulnar collateral ligament on his right thumb” and “is expected to make a full and complete recovery.”
As for his potential return date, the Lakers said their prized 20-year old will be “reevaulated by team doctors in approximately four weeks.”
Lakers announce Talen Horton-Tucker had successful surgery on his right thumb and will be re-evaluated in approximately 4 weeks pic.twitter.com/wONdnarKCS
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) October 12, 2021
That estimated recovery timeline means the best-case scenario would see Horton-Tucker return for the Lakers' five-game Eastern Conference road swing beginning on Nov. 17, which includes matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Indiana Pacers.
By any measure, the Lakers preseason has not gone swimmingly. L.A. has been blown out in each of their first four contests and, more importantly, has suffered injuries to numerous perimeter players.
Trevor Ariza will be out for at least two months after undergoing right ankle surgery. Malik Monk — arguably the team's best player thus far in the preseason — is dealing with a groin strain and will be re-evaluated in a week.
Kendrick Nunn (ankle sprain) and Wayne Ellington (hamstring soreness) have been ruled out for Tuesday's exhibition against the Golden State Warriors with an ankle sprain.
Horton-Tucker — the Lakers' X-factor, IMO — became the Lakers' fourth-highest paid player after re-signing on a three-year, $32 million deal. Earlier on Tuesday, Frank Vogel lamented the combined loss of Ariza and THT and called Horton-Tucker's injury a “setback for sure.”
“It hurts from a defensive standpoint,” the head coach said. “We've challenged Talen to be one of our perimeter stoppers this year and he had some really good sequences in camp and in preseason games — in particular on the ball. And Trevor is obviously one of the other guys who was one of our better defenders, so losing those guys really hurts us on that side of the ball.
But I just feel bad for Talen. He's looking to take a big jump in his career this year and for our team, and this is a setback for sure.”
Vogel said the Lakers don't know precisely when Horton-Tucker suffered the injury.
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