Talen Horton-Tucker was a part of the Los Angeles Lakers 2020 championship team as a role player who came off the bench. He has been regarded as the Los Angeles Lakers' best young talent over the course of the last few years, generally being praised for his ballhandling and slashing ability.
Recently, Talen Horton-Tucker was traded to the Utah Jazz by the Los Angeles Lakers, as part of a package that netted the team elite defensive point guard Patrick Beverley. This could end up being a good move for Talen Horton-Tucker as well, as he will get valuable developmental minutes and touches on a rebuilding franchise.
NBA insider Chris Vernon of The Ringer has recently stated that he spoke to "some people connected to Horton-Tucker" claiming that the young guard "didn't have a bunch of friends".
“When I talked to some people connected to Horton-Tucker, he was kind of on an island in the sense of he’s like the only young guy. He didn’t have buddies to go run around with. This is an old team with a bunch of veteran guys. He didn’t have a bunch of friends.”
If this report is true, then that is unfortunate. It is easy to see how a person could end up feeling isolated "on an island" without any teammates that they could consider friends. However, he will be going to a Utah Jazz team that has a bigger number of young players, so perhaps he can thrive in that environment.
It remains to be seen how good Talen Horton-Tucker can become. Many believe that he can develop into an All-Star caliber player, and one executive once stated that he'd be willing to give Horton-Tucker a max contract. Now, Talen Horton-Tucker will have the opportunity to become that caliber of player. If that happens, the Utah Jazz will be a much better team, and that is likely what they are hoping for.
More must-reads: