The J-Notes
Fansided

Ranking the 9 players Utah traded for this summer

By Jonah Kubicek

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 17: Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Royce O'Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 17: Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Royce O'Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 17: Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 17: Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /

#7: Talen Horton-Tucker

Allow me to be clear: until three or four years ago, I only followed the San Antonio Spurs. Before that, I did not pay much attention to the NBA as a whole, just the team and players I was a fan of. Since then, I’ve added to my repertoire a lot, but my knowledge of recent NBA history is lacking.

That being said, Horton-Tucker is the single most overrated and overvalued player I have ever seen. Of course, the Lakers would hype him up as if he isn’t a middling bench player. They allegedly took him off the table in their pursuit of Kyle Lowry. Then, a year later, they traded him for Patrick Beverly. Nothing makes sense.

THT is not a bad player, per se, but he’s the shooting guard who can’t shoot. With a career clip of 27% from deep, he isn’t one to fill up the stat sheet. Granted, he’s in his early 20s and has shown some improvement every year, but until he starts to make shots he will be a jack of all trades and a master of none, with the emphasis on the second part of that phrase.

THT is not a bad defender, rebounder, or facilitator. It’s just silly to me that LeBron and company let Alex Casuso walk in free agency and then opted to keep THT.

While “unlimited potential” might be an overstatement, he could get significantly better with time and an adjusted role. Not all is lost for him, and adding him to the roster makes a lot more sense than having Patrick Beverly, who wants to win now and can add real talent to a championship-aspiring team. THT may not be a star, but he is a decent player who could get better if he addresses the flaws in his game.

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