LeBron James says he’s been a Talen Horton-Tucker fan since high school

Talen Horton-Tucker‘s preseason explosion has Lakers’ fans excited but LeBron James says he was already on the bandwagon.

One of the biggest surprises of the preseason so far has been the explosive play of Talen Horton-Tucker. The 2019 second-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers saw just 81 minutes of actual court time last season but used extensive G League reps to keep developing his game. It’s shown so far in the preseason — he dropped 33 points on the Clippers in L.A’s second game and has so far averaged 26 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals, shooting 50 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Fans may be surprised to see Horton-Tucker looking so sharp so soon, but LeBron James said he’s been all over him since high school.

According to James’ he was so impressed by Horton-Tucker in high school that he actually mentioned him to his agent Rich Paul, who now represents Horton-Tucker as well.

Horton-Tucker spent just one season at Iowa State, averaging a fairly pedestrian 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists, shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. While his production wasn’t overwhelming, he impressed with his intensity and versatility and a physical package (6-foot-4, 234 pounds, 7-foot-1 wingspan) that hinted at considerable upside.

What can the Lakers actually get from Talen Horton-Tucker this season?

In a normal season, Horton-Tucker may be squeezed for minutes in an experienced backcourt that includes Dennis Schroder, Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wes Matthews. However, this is an unusual season with a compressed schedule and Frank Vogel may build out an intentionally deeper regular-season rotation to spread out the physical load and try to make sure his team is ready for the postseason.

Horton-Tucker’s shooting numbers will almost certainly regress to the mean a bit as the level of competition ramps up but he looks ready to contribute as lane-filler and finisher in transition, an active defensive presence and potentially as a secondary creator in certain lineups.