Jazz Guard Talen Horton-Tucker Sends Bold Message to Lakers

Talen Horton-Tucker is trying to win ball games, and if that hurts an opponent's outlook, so be it.

Unfortunately, as a result of some bad injury luck and questionable roster decisions, the Utah Jazz have played themselves out of the playoff picture. At 36-42, Utah holds the No. 12 seed (out of 15 teams) in the Western Conference. But there are a few rows left to hoe.

The Los Angeles Lakers are in town for a Tuesday night tilt with the Jazz, and while there's a contingent of fans that would love nothing more than to see the team lose out from here to bolster its draft position, good luck getting the players on board with that philosophy. 

Talen Horton-Tucker, who has emerged as a burgeoning star for Utah in the wake of the Mike Conley trade and Collin Sexton injury, isn't trying to hear about tanking for draft position. 'THT' sent a message on Tuesday to the Lakers and the two other teams remaining on the schedule. 

“I really don't try to think of anything like that," Horton-Tucker said. "We’re here and we’re trying to just win, so if we win, we know that it helps us. Being able to do that, even if we do hurt any team in the standings, it helps us, so we’re going to go about it that way.”

“We’re here and we’re trying to just win… even if we do hurt any team in the standings, it helps us, so we’re going to go about it that way.” – @Thortontucker#ShootaroundInterviews | @zionsbank

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 4, 2023

Indeed, Utah could play the spoiler to the Lakers, who currently sit at the No. 7 seed at 40-38. Utah plays the Lakers twice in these last four games, and beating them could really throw a wet blanket on their playoff outlook. 

Horton-Tucker started his NBA career with the Lakers after being drafted by Orlando in the second round back in 2019 and quickly traded. He joined the Jazz last summer via the Patrick Beverley trade, and while his knowledge of the Lakers might, in theory, give him an advantage on Tuesday night, he knows L.A.'s expertise on his scouting report helps them, too. Call it a wash, maybe. 

"Kinda, but just knowing that they're going to come out and they're going to try to think the same about me, so just being able to kind of match their energy is always something we're going to need to do," Horton-Tucker said. 

'THT' has been a revelation for Utah this season, especially since the All-Star break. He has started every game since the break, helping to give the Jazz a shot to compete every night. 

He's been in the zone lately, despite the lack of results for Utah. Over the last three games, Horton-Tucker has averaged 33.6 points and 6.6 assists per game.

Even though Sexton, for the first time in months, is questionable for Tuesday's action, even if he were 100%, it's hard to believe the Jazz brass would suddenly sit THT down. Horton-Tucker has made himself indispensable to the Jazz, which doesn't portend well for Sexton's outlook as a future starter. 

At just 22 years old, Utah has something special in Horton-Tucker, but his future is uncertain. He holds a player option after this season, which would pay him $11 million in 2023-24. 

If THT sustains this momentum in what remains of the season, it only makes him more valuable, and, perhaps more amenable to the notion of plying his wares on the open market. However, after toiling in the NBA for five years, he seems to have finally caught on with a team that recognizes his talent and has carved out a starting role. 

If you're Horton-Tucker, perhaps you don't look that gift-horse in the mouth, and pick up the Jazz option. Considering his relative youth, there's likely more upside in seeing how much brighter his star can shine as a featured starter in Utah, then circle back in 2024 to decide on that year's player option, which would be the end of his deal. 

Stay tuned. 

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