Report: Lakers coaches have discussed possibility of Talen Horton-Tucker starting this season

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a big loss when it was recently reported that rising star Talen Horton-Tucker would be undergoing surgery to repair a thumb injury.

As the Lakers look for who to start alongside LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis in the regular season, one of the possibilities they discussed was starting Horton-Tucker.

“But he is by far the most important young player on an old team; the Lakers signaled as much by re-signing Horton-Tucker to a three-year, $30.8 million deal, effectively choosing him over Alex Caruso, and coaches discussed the possibility of starting Horton-Tucker this season, sources say,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote.

Last season, his second in the league, Horton-Tucker averaged 9.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He became a regular part of the team’s rotation.

During his first two seasons in the league, he has shot 28.5 percent from three. He will surely have to improve on that if he wants to have a starting role on the team.

The Lakers have increased expectations for the 20-year-old, including challenging him to be “that guy” on defense. The team re-signed him to a lucrative deal in the offseason.

Horton-Tucker will be re-evaluated next month, so he will miss the start of the regular season. It will be interesting to see if the team inserts him into the starting lineup once he is ready to play.