‘Going to Make My Job Difficult’: Lakers’ Frank Vogel Admits Problems After Talen Horton-Tucker’s Pre-Season Performance

The Los Angeles Lakers are now off to a bright start in their pre-season campaign. They are now 2-0 and both their victories have come against fierce rivals LA Clippers. Moreover, sophomore guard Talent Horton-Tucker has been their hero so far, scoring 52 points in two games. 

Talen Horton-Tucker is 6’4” and has incredible ball-handling skills in addition to his knack for scoring buckets. The youngster got some minutes in the 2020 playoffs after playing just six games during the regular season. 

He’s certainly developed his game during the offseason, and the results are evident. The Lakers have won both their pre-season games against the Clippers, and Horton-Tucker stands out as the best performer by a huge margin. 

Horton-Tucker has given Los Angeles Lakers HC Frank Vogel new problems 

The Lakers undoubtedly possess one of the best rosters in the league. Besides the valuable offseason additions, players like Talen Horton-Tucker and Kostas Antetokounmpo have really stepped up their game, which makes them an unavoidable talent on the bench. 

“It’s going to make my job difficult for sure,” Frank Vogel said when asked about assigning Horton-Tucker a role in the upcoming season. They can’t have him as a bench warmer for sure, after what he’s proved so far. But consistency is the key, and Vogel is quite cautious of it. 

“We have a very deep team. No minutes are guaranteed,” Vogel added. “He’s going to keep playing at a high level, and that should push everybody else to stay playing at a high level.”

Talen Horton-Tucker feels blessed to be given a chance to perform

Talen Horton-Tucker attended one year at Iowa State before declaring for the NBA draft. The Orlando Magic selected him with the 46th overall pick but later traded him to the Lakers. The gifted shooting guard has a 7’1” wingspan, which allows him to take advantage of his opponents. 

THT even commented on his recent displays of brilliance in the pre-season. “I look at it as a blessing. It’s actually crazy because I feel like what other 19-, 20-year-old gets this experience in the world? Not too many,” Horton-Tucker said. 

He’s currently putting in the minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers who are the victims of the shortest NBA offseason in history. HC Frank Vogel mentioned that the team will demand more minutes from Horton-Tucker in place of the starters who are taking a much-deserved break. 

“It does give us that luxury of having him carry the load for some of our guys who played deep in the championship run last year and had a short offseason,” expressed Vogel. 

Once again, the Los Angeles Lakers have a deep roster for the upcoming season, which makes them the prime contenders for winning the championship. The young guns are fired up to make their mark, which adds to the Lakers’ chances of completing the repeat!