The Los Angeles Lakers' New Year's Day win over the San Antonio Spurs featured a brief cameo from second-year guard Talen Horton-Tucker, who himself logged 14 minutes of action on Friday night. After the game, Lakers superstar LeBron James raved about THT's progress, and how the 20-year-old could now be in line for a considerable opportunity for the defending champs.
In his post-game presser, LeBron talked up Horton-Tucker, who himself emerged as one of L.A.'s brightest prospects during their preseason games (h/t Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints):
LeBron on Talen Horton-Tucker: "He's experiencing some great moments for himself as a pro. … He's going to continue to learn, he's going to continue to get the opportunities because he's earned it…" pic.twitter.com/fZ9zkJc2tc
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 2, 2021
Horton-Tucker was afforded with a bit more playing time against the Spurs, with starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope exiting the game with an ankle sprain. KCP could be looking at some time on the sidelines here, and with Alex Caruso also missing action (health protocols), Horton-Tucker could see his role increase in the short term. He finished Friday's win with five points, one three-pointer, one rebound, a steal, and two blocks in 14 minutes off the bench.
THT's tremendous showing in the offseason earned him a spot in coach Frank Vogel's rotation, and it appears that L.A.'s current injuries will provide him with an even bigger opportunity. Horton-Tucker came into the Spurs matchup with averages 7.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals in 12.0 minutes per game.
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