WATCH: Lakers’ LeBron James Pumped Up by Talen Horton-Tucker and His Amazing Performance Against Clippers

The Los Angeles Lakers may have seen the emergence of a new star in Talen Horton-Tucker. In their past two pre-season games, Horton-Tucker put on a show against the Clippers. In the first game, THT scored 19 points and 9 rebounds. And in today’s game against the Clippers, he scored 33 points and 10 rebounds.

One person who has been seriously impressed with Horton-Tucker’s performance is LeBron James. The reigning Finals MVP took to Twitter after the first game against the Clippers to praise THT’s incredible display, calling him ‘special’. Horton Tucker helped the Lakers get the win over a Clippers team that had many of their main stars, including Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

His performance in the second game against the Clippers caught everyone’s eye. He improved on his points total, getting 33 points and 10 rebounds. But he was also great defensively during the game, highlighted by the steal he made on Clippers’ talisman Kawhi Leonard. Leonard, who himself is a great defender, got completely pickpocketed by Horton-Tucker.

Talen Horton-Tucker made several plays during the game that showed he has something special. He completely took over both games, especially the second game against the Clippers. It is surprising to see him perform this way, as not many expected him to be the man to lead the Lakers to victory against the Clippers.

Talen-Horton Tucker steps up and LeBron James loves it

Horton-Tucker was never expected to be a star in the NBA. He entered the league in 2019, as the 46th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. His projections, according to many, were a solid bench player who could contribute from time to time. However, he is proving the doubters wrong and showing that he can definitely play at a high level.

His moves during the game even impressed the Lakers bench, including LeBron James. James was hyped whenever Talen Horton-Tucker made a move or took the ball to the basket. It is fair to say that James has become a big fan of Talen Horton-Tucker. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel praised THT’s performance and said that he would push the rest of the team to play at a high level.

It remains to be seen if Talen Horton-Tucker gets more game time next season. The Lakers play the Clippers when the new NBA season begins on December 22, 2020.