Lakers: Talen Horton-Tucker is Still Battling Through An Injury
The Lakers have gotten a lot out of Talen Horton-Tucker lately. The third-year man has turned it on after Frank Vogel upped his minutes, averaging 28 per game in the month of March. But he's also been doing that while continuing to battle through an injury.
Horton-Tucker has averaged 16.5 points in the Lakers last two games. He has also played over 30 minutes in both of those contests, signaling that Vogel likes something he is seeing with him in there.
But after the win over the Wizards on Friday night, THT revealed that he is still working through an ankle injury. From what it sounds like, it's pretty painful.
“My ankle, I had a Grade 2 sprain, so I’m still dealing with it. It’s still painful. I’m just trying to play through it until the end of the season because we’ve got to get some wins. Any way I can help, I feel like I need to be out there. I’m trying to play through it, (even if) it still hurts.”
The Lakers are in a position right now where they really can't afford to lose anyone. They already probably lost Anthony Davis for the rest of the regular season, and it doesn't sound like Kendrick Nunn will ever play at this point.
That's why THT stepping it up right now is so important for them. The Lakers have gone with a youth movement around LeBron James lately, opting for THT, Malik Monk, and Austin Reaves more often. And it's paying off in a really big way.
