KD is definitely not in LeBron’s class as a playmaker. Durant’s stat line: 22 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 1 block, and 8 turnovers.
LeBron James
How Will Kuzma Extension and THT Preseason Affect Lakers’ Rotations?
After a brilliant offseason and undefeated preseason, the only questions facing the NBA defending champion Lakers now are how will Kyle Kuzma’s extension and Talen Horton-Tucker’s preseason affect the team’s rotations?
While neither is likely to be in the starting lineup when the Lakers kick off the season tomorrow night against their crosstown rival Clippers, Kuzma’s extension and THT’s breakout preseason could translate into more minutes. There’s no doubt the Lakers have doubled down on their belief Kyle Kuzma can be a big time contributor going forward and Talen Horton-Tucker has legitimate star potential and is ready to challenge for more playing time.
All of which further complicates the decisions facing Frank Vogel as he tries to figure out how to manage what appears to be an unusually deep and talented Lakers’ rotation with 11 players who deserve regular minutes. Fortunately, the saving grace for Vogel may be the NBA’s shortened and compressed regular season schedule and Lakers’ need to ease the load for 35-year old LeBron James and a team with little time off after winning.
One answer to Vogel’s dilemma may be to sit two or three players each game to reduce the rotation to a manageable eight or nine players and while load managing to keep the team fresh and healthy for the playoffs. This would allow the Lakers to play the lineups that best matchup against each opponent and guarantee all players always had enough minutes to develop good rhythm and strong rapport and chemistry with teammates.
Deploying shifting matchup rotations would also giee Vogel the opportunity to see which combinations of players worked best against potential playoff opponents to help narrow the Lakers’ rotations going into the postseason. Strategically, it’s a perfect fit for this season’s unique schedule featuring conference teams playing each other twice in a row to reduce travel. It also would prepare teams for possible rotation changes caused by Covid-19.
But let’s take a closer look on how Kyle Kuzma’s extension and Talen Horton-Tucker’s breakout preseason could affect the Lakers’ lineups and rotations and whose minutes and roles could be affected as a result:
It’s definitely a vote of confidence and encouraging news for Kyle Kuzma that Rob Pelinka not only did not pull the trigger on a trade involving him this offseason but also signed him to a new 3-year $40 million extension. Since rookie extensions include poison pill restrictions making it hard to match salaries if a team trades the player before the extension kicks in, Kuzma is likely going to be with the Lakers for the entire 2020–21 season.
Kuzma’s rookie extension is interesting because it’s the first one the Lakers have given a player they drafted since Andrew Bynum back in 2008 and the first extension for a player on this roster who was not a Klutch Sports client. While the extension should take a load off Kuzma’s shoulders and give him confidence, expectations will continue to exceed what he’s delivered in the past and the pressure will be on him to show he’s worthy of the contract.
The challenge for Kuzma the last two years has been finding a role on the Lakers that would pay him what he’s worth considering he wants to be a starter but right now he’s stuck behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Players in today’s NBA can play the positions they can defend and Kyle Kuzma has shown promising potential as an elite defender against bigger wing players like James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Devin Booker.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see if Frank Vogel gives Kyle Kuzma more opportunities to play the two as he did during the preseason. Right now, Kuzma’s main role will be to backup LeBron off the bench at the three. But I also think we’ll continue to see Kuz get minutes at the two, especially when the Lakers face wing scorers too big for Caruso and KCP to handle. Playing the two could ultimately be Kuzma’s path to becoming a starter.
Talen Horton-Tucker’s breakout preseason presents head coach Frank Vogel with the same challenge he faces with Kyle Kuzma: finding enough minutes for a player who could potentially become a star and a future Lakers’ starter. Since Talen will be a restricted free agent next summer, the Lakers need to learn how good he can be. Since they have his Early Bird Rights, they can only offer him the MLE though they can match any offer he might receive.
Like Kuzma, Horton-Tucker fills a role other players on the roster cannot fill. Should the Lakers start Schroder, Talen’s ability to get to the rim and make plays for others make him the team’s best option as backup point guard. That would leave Alex Caruso and Wes Matthews competing for the backup minutes at shooting guard role assuming KCP starts at the two, although Matthews is very capable of playing backup minutes at the three.
Horton-Tucker can also fill a valuable offensive and defensive roles as a backup at shooting guard and small forward because of his ability to get to the rim and defend bigger wing scorers with his length and physicality. Talen’s extensive skill set enables him to play three positions: point guard, shooting guard, and small forward. That versatility at both ends of the court could easily translate into more minutes for Horton-Tucker.
Finally, there’s no question Talen has star potential. His game is already leaps and bounds beyond what could be expected from the 20-year old second round draft pick and the Lakers clearly know and understand that. The Lakers coaching staff views Talen primarily as a point guard and will likely give him the backup minutes to prove that’s his position, which means Alex Caruso may need to compete for minutes at shooting guard.
No matter what Frank Vogel does, the simple truth is ther roster is too deep and there are two few minutes for the Lakers to use an 11-player rotation, which means the solution should be to utilize shifting matchup rotations. That gives everybody a chance to play, provides LeBron James and older players with load management, and deals with the vagaries of a shortened and compressed schedule and possible absences due to Covid-19.
Kuma’s extension and Horton-Tucker’s preseason have exacerbated Frank Vogel’s rotation challenges. Either he adopts some form of shifting matchup rotations or ends up limiting at least two good players to minor minutes. One of the hallmarks of last year’s championship team was how every player on the roster was willing to sacrifice for the good of the team but this year’s team is much deeper or more talented than last year’s team.
With Kuzma’s extension and THT’s preseason demanding more minutes, Frank Vogel and the Lakers need to seriously consider sitting two or three players each game so they can deploy an eight or nine man rotation.
5 Reasons Why Talen Horton-Tucker Is the Future at Point Guard for Lakers
It’s definitely premature and disrespectful of proven veteran teammates but I’m going to say it anyway: 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker is the future at point guard for the Lakers and could be the starter sometime this season.
In four preseason games, Talen averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals in 31.6 minutes per game, ranking 2nd in points, 2nd in rebounds, 4th in assists, 1st in steals, and 1st in plus/minus for the team. And these were not hollow stats posted in garbage time minutes as Talen was a major force in the Lakers’ undefeated preseason, highlighted by a 33 point, 10 rebound, 4 assist, and 4 steal performance against the Clippers.
Yes, it’s only been four preseason games but the improvement in Talen’s game at both ends of the court has been unprecedented for a second round draft pick. His newfound confidence and skill level are off the charts. The Lakers’ coaching staff and players say what everyone’s seen Horton-Tucker do in his brief debut in the playoffs and this preseason, he has been doing everyday in practice and scrimmages since last season in the bubble.
There are five reasons why Talen is the future starter at point guard for the Lakers: his elite ability to get to the rim and finish, run the pick-and-roll, make plays for others, create steals and turnovers, and shoot the three ball.
1. Ability to Get to the Rim and Finish
The first thing that jumps out at you about Talen Horton-Tucker is the ability of his powerful 234 pound body to absorb contact at the rim and use his freakish length and acrobatic athleticism to finish highlight reel layups. Blessed with a 7′ 1″ wingspan, hands almost as big as Kawhi Leonard, and the biggest body of any NBA player his height, the 6′ 4″ Horton-Taylor is a tireless juggernaut that relentlessly and fearlessly attacks the basket.
With elite physical skills and shifty moves, Talen has the potential to be one of the hardest players in the league to stop from getting to the basket. He’s an unstoppable attack dog with unique ability to get to the rim at will.
2. Ability to Run the Pick-and-Roll
One of the key skills that make Talen incredibly difficult to defend is his savvy ability on pick-and-rolls to use his handle, strength, and change of pace to put and keep his defender in jail as he navigates through the paint. While he’s not fast or quick, Horton-Tucker’s strong body, long arms, and big hands make him a nightmare matchup for most point guards and impossible to control in the lane where he’s a lethal threat to score or pass.
Talen’s gravity as a finisher and uncanny court vision let him to use pick-and-rolls to create opportunities for others in the paint or on the perimeter and his huge hands and long arms enable him to find them in traffic.
3. Ability to Make Plays for Others
Make no mistake, Talen Horton-Tucker is not going to be a pass-first point guard. His future is clearly as a shoot-first point guard whose threat as a big time scorer is going to demand other teams’ attention and best defenders. Unlike most young high powered scorers, Talen has great court vision and willingness to make the right play when a teammate is open, whether the result of him being in attack mode or a simple hockey pass to the corner.
Talen’s elite passing repertoire includes all the weapons a great playmaker needs, including pinpoint pocket passes in the pick-and-roll, drive-and-kick passes to wide open 3-point shooters, or lobs to bigs for dunks at the rim.
4. Ability to Create Steals and Turnovers
Defense has been how 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker has earned minutes on the Lakers’ 10-deep championship roster. His weapons are a 6′ 4″ 234 lb body, 7′ 1″ wingspan, and ‘Klaw’ sized hands to create steals and turnovers. His elite arm length and hand size enable him to hound ball handlers and deflect passes, tip balls from dribblers, and rip the ball out of players’ hands like he did while defending Kawhi in preseason game against the Clippers.
Talen’s outlier physical metrics and defensive potential were what first brought him to the attention of NBA scouts. His team best 2.3 steals per game in preseason show how far he’s grown under the Lakers’ tutelage.
5. Ability to Shoot the Three Ball
The biggest surprise since his rookie year is Horton-Tucker’s improvement as 3-point shooter, hitting 2 of 5 (40%) in his 17 minutes in two playoff games and 7 of 13 in his 127 (53.8%) minutes in four preseason games. Talen’s improved 3-point shooting showed how hard he worked on his shot as he only made 49 out of 159 threes (30.8%) in his one year at Iowa State and 72 of 233 threes (30.9%) in his 38 game stint in the G-League last year.
If he can shoot the three well, there’s no limit to how far Talen can go. That he shot 90% from the line in preseason compared to 74% in the G-League and 62% at Iowa State gives hope his improved shooting may be legitimate.
Going from preseason sensation to regular season rotation player to starting point guard is a daunting challenge on any team much less on a deep and talented championship team but Talen has a chance to do it. The next step is taking over as the Lakers’ backup point guard and proving his preseason performance was not a fluke and the team can count on him to run the offense efficiently, rack up points, and defend at a high level
That Talen’s already knocking on the door is a luxury and miracle for a Lakers team already favored to repeat as champions. There are encouraging signs they may have already found their point guard of the future in THT.
Why Talen Horton-Tucker Should Be Backup Point Guard for the Lakers
Lost in the discussions of how to find minutes on a championship Lakers team ten deep with proven talented players has been the more important question of what is the position Talen Horton-Tucker is best suited to play?
I think we saw the answer to that question the last three preseason games where Horton-Tucker averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 steals in 34.4 minutes at point guard while shooting 53.3/45.5/89.5%. While it’s foolish to overreact to a few preseason games, what we saw in those games was exactly what the Lakers coaches and players have seen from this kid in the bubble, during the playoffs, and in practice every day.
The first time I heard the Lakers were considering Talen Horton-Tucker as the backup point guard was back in November 2019 in a YouTube stream by Eric Pincus Making Sense of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Hard Cap Moves. While discussing the Lakers depth chart for the season, Pincus said the coaches were high on THT, believed he would become part of the rotation, and could even challenge Alex Caruso for the backup point guard role
The reason Talen is even on the Lakers roster is LeBron James. “I saw him about three and half, four years ago,” James said of Horton-Tucker. “I was watching a high school basketball game and I happened to catch Simeon playing. And I told our agent at the time — it’s now Talen’s agent, Rich Paul — that he needs to take a look at this kid Talen Horton-Tucker that’s at Simeon. I think the kid is super talented. This was like four years ago.
What transpired after that may be a key moment in Lakers history as on June 20, 2019, the Lakers traded their 2020 second round pick and $2.2 million to the Orlando Magic to take Talen with the 46th pick in the draft. After spending most of his rookie year in the G-League and only playing in 2 regular season games with the Lakers, Talen got a chance to play in two second round playoff games in the bubble against the Rockets and excelled.
Thrown into the pressure cooker of the bubble playoffs, Horton-Tucker averaged 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 8.5 minutes per game, giving the Lakers a glimpse of what he was capable of doing at 19-years old. The most telling comment about what the Lakers think about Talen Horton-Tucker’s potential was what one of their coaches said to LA Times writer Dan Woike while watching him practice during the playoffs in the bubble.
I was even more impressed watching Talen dominate the second half and lead the Lakers to a 3rd straight preseason win last night rebounding from a shaky first half off the bench instead of starting like in the first two games. After missing his only two 3-point attempts in the first half, Talen did what great players do. He put his head down and used his size and length to attack the paint, making several highlight reel layups and dishes in traffic.
While it may be awhile before he forces himself into the starting lineup, there’s no question Talen Horton-Tucker has earned a role in the Lakers’ rotation as the team’s backup point guard when LeBron’s not on the floor. While he’s capable of contributing off the ball, Talen’s handle and ability to get into the paint and make plays for himself and teammates and his upside as an elite wing defender are exactly what the Lakers need to repeat.
It almost unfair that a championship team as deep and talented as the Lakers should find a transcendent young star like Talen Horton-Tucker but like LeBron James said, “This kid is flat out SPECIAL! Mark my words.”
5 Things: 3rd Preseason Game, Same Result
With one odd starting line up and an empty arena the Lakers started off sluggish against the new-look Phoenix Suns. LeBron looked a little rusty, Booker looked like the spectacular scorer he his and in the end…it didn’t matter. We won our 3rd preseason affair 112-107. Phoenix looks like a team ready to move up in the NBA hierarchy and one of the big non-Laker questions if the season is will they bump Portland (and stiff arm Golden State) and ascend into the playoffs?
- THT making it happen. Professional sport has plot lines and one of those that always has a place in every season in every type of team sport is ‘will the kid stick?’ Well…this kid is gonna stick. THT has done about as much as possible with his opportunity to shine in the NBA preseason. On a team like the Lakers, burdened with expectation and with eyes on another banner, that’s no small thing. We don’t need to get into the stats, they’re solid across the board, but what I like best about his success is he isn’t forcing the action to get his buckets or make an impact. It’s all within the organic flow of our team which is not easy to do. He won’t be getting the minutes he gets now, that is one certainty, but if he can impact the game at a similar level he will be another 2nd round gem unearthed by the Laker scouting dept.
- Kyle Kuzma’s improved game. Kyle looks smooth. It’s a known fact that he generally plays better as a starter but that there is no clear path to a starter role on this team. He showed us that game again last night. Started in place of KCP and responded with one of his better games of the preseason. It’s a flummoxing situation for all involved because you want to see Kyle do well but he does struggle more when he comes off the bench. Maybe, and we say this every year since his rookie campaign, but maybe this will be the season where he really puts it together on both ends and can be another consistent scorer off the bench. His shot looks improved so maybe the short layoff will be better for him in general.
- Trezz’s energy. Gotta love it. I also love his midrange game, he’s got a nice 10-15 foot jumper he can splash. But his calling card is his energy which is infectious and helps give the bench an early identity to build around. Between Harrell, Kuzma and THT the Lakers have three really solid bench contributors to go along with Caruso and…maybe Quinn Cook right now as the lead players off the bench. The bench will be called upon, often, in the early part of the season as I expect Vogel to impose an unstated, non-rigorous minutes limit on AD and LBJ. There will be stretches where they both sit and it’ll be guys like Trezz and and Co. that need to come in and make instant impacts. He may be new, may not have won a ring but you can see how Montrezl is already making his presence felt on our bench squad.
- Only Laker we haven’t seen is Alfonzo McKinnie at this point. Every one else that was a camp invite has been cut, the 2 Way dudes have all gotten some burn…not Alfonzo. Can’t see anything on any injury reports or any news about him going through COVID protocols so not sure what the situation is there but I had hoped to see him get some run in. One more preseason game left so we shall see.
- Oh yeah, AD and LBJ had their preseason debuts. They looked great! neither played in the second half. While we still haven’t seen the entire team play in a preseason (KCP and Caruso out with hip issues, not major) the things that were hallmarks of the championship team remain early on in preseason: team play, solid defense and we have 2 of the best players on Earth at positions that really compliment one another well. So as we make our way to the final preseason affair on Friday the same things that were true and defined the team last season remain true today: we’re going as far as Davis and James take us.
One more of these to go, then the W’s and L’s start to matter. I expect we’ll see as close to the full roster play something akin to regular season rotations on Friday if everyone is healthy enough to go. Next Tuesday we kick it off snd get this party started, Can’t wait. Go Lakers.