Tyrese Haliburton: Talen Horton-Tucker’s play with Lakers is not a surprise
While LeBron James and Anthony Davis have once again been the leaders of the show for the Los Angeles Lakers, their 11-4 start has been defined just as much by the emergence of other players around them who have made their jobs much easier on a nightly basis, especially on the offensive end. And one of those players emerging didn’t happen from a free agency signing but came from within: the emergence of second-year guard Talen Horton-Tucker as a frequent member of the Lakers rotation.
Horton-Tucker has appeared in 13 games this season, more than twice as many as he appeared in last season with the Lakers, and he has already scored 89 points this season after scoring a total of 34 as a rookie. Injuries and health and safety protocols have sprung him into a bigger role than usual. He has looked like he belongs most of the time, which didn’t surprise LeBron James but has surprised many. Another person who isn’t surprised is Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton, who played with Horton-Tucker at Iowa State.
Haliburton was recently on JJ Redick’s podcast Old Man and the Three, where he expressed his lack of surprise in Horton-Tucker’s play, as transcribed by Christian Rivas of SB Nation.
“It’s not surprising by any means, what he does on a nightly basis because that’s just literally who he’s been for as long as I’ve known him. So it’s like, what I see is not a surprise, but there are some people who are, like, going nuts about what he does and I see it and I’m just like ‘there’s even more that we have yet to see.’
“I think what people don’t realize is Talen is the same age as the rookies. Because we’re the class of 2018, but he’s a year younger, so really he should have been a freshman last year and this should have been his first year. People don’t understand how young he really is and what he really can bring to L.A. I think obviously they’re obviously a championship team, coming off of a ring so they have a lot of pieces, but Talen’s a guy that’s ready for his opportunity and what we see: trust me, there’s a lot more to it.”
With the Lakers going on a season-long seven-game road trip, there’s a good chance Horton-Tucker will again be called upon to step up for the Lakers. The good news for them is that they’ve never had to wait for him to be ready to contribute.
