The Los Angeles Lakers have had their struggles to begin the 2021-22 NBA season and a large part of this is because of injuries. Obviously with almost an entirely new roster, it takes time to build chemistry, but this cannot be built if everyone is sidelined due to injuries!
Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza have yet to make their debuts with the Lakers due to separate injuries and with LeBron James, Rajon Rondo and Austin Reaves all dealing with some nagging injuries, head coach Frank Vogel has had to constantly flip his rotation around.
On Sunday though, he got a key talent back from injury as Talen Horton-Tucker made his season-debut against the San Antonio Spurs in Los Angeles. In the team’s 114-106 victory, the third-year guard started the game alongside Avery Bradley, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and Carmelo Anthony and played 27 minutes, scoring 17 points on 7-14 shooting and adding 4 rebounds to his name as well.
Being aggressive on both ends of the floor and playing with a lot of energy, Horton-Tucker finished with a game-high +14 plus-minus and was a key part of the Lakers’ success in the second-half, as 12 of Talen Horton-Tucker’s 17 total points came in the third and fourth quarters combined.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Lakers-Rockets Trade Involves Intriguing Big Man To L.A.
“We have a strong belief in that young man and what he can do on both sides of the ball,” Frank Vogel said after the game on Horton-Tucker’s debut. “Obviously, when we get whole, we have a log of good choices, but he’s going to be a big part of it.”
Talen Horton-Tucker is just one of three players that returned to the Lakers from last year’s squad, the other two being LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and he signed a three-year, $32M deal to remain in Los Angeles this past offseason.
Having the fourth-largest contract on this roster and being one of six players under contract past this season (Westbrook and Nunn having options for next year), Horton-Tucker figures to be a large part of the Lakers plans both this season and moving forward as they look to contend for more titles.
“To come out in his first game and do what he did was unreal,” Anthony Davis said in regards to Horton-Tucker’s performance against the Spurs on Sunday. “I’m impressed. His first game and to come in and do what he did to help us win was huge and a sign of his hard work. A lot of guys usually come back and are kind of rusty, but he came in like he had been playing with us this whole time.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Lakers-Rockets Trade Involves Intriguing Big Man To L.A.
Los Angeles is now 8-6 on the season after their victory on Sunday, but they still have a lot of work to do in order to be the championship contenders that many, including themselves, believe they can be. Getting healthy is going to be a priority moving forward and as more and more guys return from being injured, the better this team is going to get.
