The Los Angeles Lakers had a reinforcement to the rotation in the win against the San Antonio Spurs Sunday.
Talen Horton-Tucker, who hadn’t played since the preseason with a thumb injury, made his season debut.
Head coach Frank Vogel inserted Horton-Tucker into the starting lineup. In 27 minutes, the third-year guard went for 17 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block on 7-of-14 shooting.
He shined when attacking the rim, moved the ball well and made impressive plays on the defensive end to generate turnovers. He made a serious case to remain in the starting five.
After the game, Horton-Tucker explained he’s not worried about whether he starts or not; he’ll come out with the same intensity regardless.
“I’m just trying to come out here and be the best that I can, I’m not really focused on that,” Horton-Tucker said. “I’ll let the coaches and front office figure out what they want to do. But I’m going to just come in and do the same thing that I do every night.”
Since shooting 3s isn’t a premier skill in Horton-Tucker’s arsenal, he’s accustomed to being on the ball and driving to the basket for points. With a team that has Russell Westbrook and LeBron James, that could limit Horton-Tucker’s touches and effectiveness.
But the 20-year-old guard just wants to do whatever it takes to help the squad succeed.
“I don’t have a problem playing off the ball,” Horton-Tucker said. “It’s just anything I can do to try and win and get another ring is the most important thing for me, so I feel like I can help on the ball or off the ball. So just being able to do that is going to be key for me.”
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