Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons Talen Horton-Tucker was a good pick

The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2019 NBA Draft without a pick and ended it with a second round selection who could contribute right away in Talen Horton-Tucker.

When the Los Angeles Lakers landed the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, very few people believed the team would actually use the pick for anything more than a piece of a trade package.

As expected, the Lakers soon sent that lottery pick to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the blockbuster deal for superstar big man Anthony Davis.

That left the Lakers without any picks going into the draft last Thursday, but then L.A. traded a 2020 second-rounder and cash to the Orlando Magic to get the No. 46 pick, which was used to select Iowa State swingman Talen Horton-Tucker.

Listed at 6’4″ and 235 pounds, Horton-Tucker is a Chicago native who played at Simeon Career Academy, the same high school that produced Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker, among others. Horton-Tucker averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game as a freshman for the Cyclones last season.

His highlights included a 26-point, 14-rebound, six-assist stat line in a win over Illinois; 26 points, five rebounds and four steals in a win over Texas Southern; 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a win at Ole Miss; and a 21-point, three-steal effort in a win over Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament.

Horton-Tucker won’t turn 19 years old until the early stages of his rookie season, but he could find a meaningful role on a Lakers team that is expected to contend for an NBA championship.

Here are three reasons why L.A. made a good pick.