LA Lakers injury update: The latest we know on Talen Horton-Tucker's return
The LA Lakers were hit with the injury bug even before the season began as key players Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza were all ruled out before the start of the campaign.
While there is no update on Nunn and Ariza's returns yet, there is some good news to note for Lakers fans regarding Horton-Tucker. LA Lakers head coach Frank Vogel recently mentioned that THT will be cleared for contact practice starting Tuesday, November 9th. Here's what he said as per Silver Screen & Roll:
“So Talen is going to be cleared for contact tomorrow, which is exciting. We don’t really have any timetable on when he’ll return to game action. That will take some time, but he will be cleared to practice tomorrow.”
The third-year wing was sidelined because of a ligament tear in his right thumb. He underwent surgery to repair the issue. As Vogel mentioned, there is no timetable available for Talen Horton-Tucker's return to court. But it would be fair to speculate that he is very close to making his season debut, considering he has been cleared for contact practice.
Talen Horton-Tucker doing some dribbling with his right hand at Monday morning shootaround. https://t.co/D3gltCiZMM
This is indeed exciting news for the LA Lakers, who are currently also without LeBron James. The 36-year-old endured an abdominal strain and is out indefinitely. This has left the team with a lack of depth in the wings as Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn are still out as well, as mentioned earlier.
How does Talen Horton-Tucker's return help the LA Lakers?
The LA Lakers are yet to play their full-strength team this NBA season. This has been one of the major reasons behind their struggles early on, especially on the defensive end. The Lakers have conceded 112.4 points per game across 11 games. It is the third-worst record in the league right now.
Kent Bazemore and Avery Bradley are the only reliable perimeter defenders currently available for the Purple and Gold. The team has sorely missed a player of Talen Horton-Tucker's caliber, who can influence the game on both ends of the floor. His presence would allow the Lakers to match the pace of some of the younger teams in the NBA.
Talen Horton-Tucker: This guy can hoop 🔥 https://t.co/NthPRWzPQ1
The LA Lakers do look old at times, and that has hampered their chances of being a dominant force on defense. Talen Horton-Tucker's return will likely resolve that issue for the side.
Horton-Tucker is also the only other player apart from LeBron James and Anthony Davis the LA Lakers decided to retain this season. They tied him to a 3-year $32 million contract this offseason. THT is relied upon by Frank Vogel and his staff heavily, so he will likely play a key role in the rotation upon his return.