Talen Horton-Tucker - 2019 NBA Draft Prospect

[timvp]

https://i.imgur.com/zx1rqdu.jpg

Talen Horton-Tucker

School: Iowa State
Position: SG/SF/PF?
Age: 18
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 235.4
Wingspan: 7-foot-1.25
Draft Range: 18 to 38
Combine Results? Yes (https://stats.nba.com/draft/combine-anthro/)

Why: Uniquely proportioned human being. He is only 6-foot-2.5 without shoes but has a jaw-dropping wingspan, broad shoulders, powerful base, decent to good athleticism and big hands. Just 18 years old, he's already 235 pounds and could even add more muscle. He has the court vision of a point guard, the scoring potential of a shooting guard, the length and the range of a small forward, and the foundational strength of a bigman. Right now, his best skills are scoring in isolation, rebounding in traffic and playing the passing lanes.

Why Not: What exactly is he? It looks like his most natural position is small forward ... but he's awfully short for that position. Unclear if he's quick enough to play guard. Could his wingspan and strength allow him to be a next generation big? Bad form on jumper; shot 30.8% on threes and 62.5% at the line. Poor shot-selection and decision-making as a freshman. Defensive fundamentals need work. Has some baby fat on him. There have been whispers about character issues.

Spurs Fit: Two years in Austin. The plan would be to watch and see what position he grows into.

Spurs Comparison - Ceiling: George Hill and Malik Rose combined into one

Spurs Comparison - Floor: Charles "Spider" Smith, the husky, untamed version

College Stats (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/talen-horton-tucker-1.html)
Highlight Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7ccT3xSlV0&t=361s)
Tankathon Profile (http://www.tankathon.com/players/talen-horton-tucker)
BSO Profile (https://basketballsocietyonline.com/talen-horton-tucker-scouting-report)

[99 Problems]

Anything like Marcus Smart?

[slick'81]

Jesus 6'4 but a 7 foot plus wing span:wow

[timvp]

Anything like Marcus Smart?

Body-wise and measurements-wise, his closest comp is probably PJ Tucker. But THT is somehow even shorter, longer and will probably end up being heavier.

[RC_Drunkford]

weird body tbh. At 18 years old he might grow a bit still though

[Russ]

Looks a bit like Alfredrick Hughes.

[offset formation]

Hmm, muy interesante.

[lmbebo]

I'd take a waiver in the 2nd round.

[exstatic]

I'd take a waiver in the 2nd round.

He won't be there in the second round.

[Das Texan]

He won't be there in the second round.

at least not when the spurs pick in the second round.

[kobyz]

Shorter Ron Artest!

[R. DeMurre]

One thing this year's combine has reinforced for me is how incredibly unreliable the eye test can really be. Pictures of THT don't appear to make him look so unusually proportioned. Zion Williamson looks to have much shorter arms than Brandon Clarke, and picks of Clarke in midair grabbing rebounds don't in any way make him look to be deficient in terms of wingspan. When I read earlier in the year that Clarke's wingspan was a reported 7', I didn't even give it a second thought. It seemed completely reasonable, and I just assumed that it explained, at least in part, his incredibly good numbers...

[DAF86]

Mini-Zion?

Sign me up, tbh. He seems to have the type of upside you need to get a home-run on late first round picks. At 29th it seems like a no-brainer, and if you can't get anyone you really like at 19th, he might be worth the gamble.

This, of course, not seeing a single minute of him play. Just going by timvp's scouting.

[keithington1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrqUdW0tsME
Being the youngest player in the draft you gotta think he can possibly grow to around 6'6" in shoes. He literally looks the size of Draymond in his defensive stance

[BackHome]

Didn’t he just get busted for stealing 15$ in Walmart?

[exstatic]

Didn’t he just get busted for stealing 15$ in Walmart?

Didn't you post that in another thread, and don't you have Google so you can find out and post a link?

[BackHome]

I know it’s hard but do try to stop being such a ass

[exstatic]

I know it’s hard but do try to stop being such a ass

People ask for links all the time. I know I was being an ass, and it was intentional. If you're going to post something negative about a prospect, especially more than once, back it up with a link. It shouldn't be that hard, not even for you.

[ceperez]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrqUdW0tsME
Being the youngest player in the draft you gotta think he can possibly grow to around 6'6" in shoes. He literally looks the size of Draymond in his defensive stance

OMG! I would trade Murray to get this guy!

[NickiRasgo]

I kinda like this guy over Matisse Thybulle defensively. He's like the type of player who can bring toughness and do the dirty work. Wouldn't mind him @ 49th if he's still there.

[ceperez]

Spurs could get lucky:

https://hoopshype.com/2019/05/15/2019-nba-mock-draft-zion-williamson-lottery-results/

27 41 19 35 28 26 20

2 out of 7 mocks show he's available at 29. He's definitely available at 18!!!

[phxspurfan]

Wtf kind of
name is Talen

[cd021]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrqUdW0tsME
Being the youngest player in the draft you gotta think he can possibly grow to around 6'6" in shoes. He literally looks the size of Draymond in his defensive stance

I remember hearing that less than 2% of people actually grow after 18. If true then I doubt it.

[Chinook]

Eh, I think he could play the three in today's NBA. I don't love his lack of hops or quickness though. Seems to have good defensive instincts and a strong base, so I think he can handle mismatches better than most. But I worry that his odd wingspan will hurt his chances of learning how to shoot. There are so many forwards in the draft with either the size or athleticism to play the three or four. Not having either really hurts THT's value in my book.

[ZeusWillJudge]

He was pretty shockingly slow in the combine drills, and had one of the worst standing verticals among SG's. And he showed up with an 8.4% body fat. I know that can be worked off, but to show up for the combine like that?

Maybe if he lost some weight, he'd be quicker and get off the ground better. But then he wouldn't be built like a fireplug, which is one of his calling cards other than his freakish wingspan.

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

I’m trying to figure this guy out. Someone at The Stepien has him ranked very highly, possibly #8. (With their tiered ranking system, it’s a little confusing.)

However, that was likely before the combine results. Every year there are players like him that don’t check all the boxes yet later prove to be quite effective, not saying that he is necessarily going to be effective, but draft rankings often seem to be based on ideals not realities, so to speak. Anyway, I’m curious what the FO thinks of him.

[rjv]

i've seen him as the spurs pick in a few mock drafts and i would be very underwhelmed if they proved correct.

[JeffDuncan]

He's THT, he's dy-no-mite,
He's THT, he'll win the fight,
He's THT, he's a power load,
He's THT, watch him...... bust.

[Marcus Bryant]

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-top-50-nba-draft-prospects-according-to-our-carmelo-projections/

538 is fairly high on this guy. Still, seems more like an early 2nd round pick you take a chance on rather than in the 1st.

[timvp]

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-top-50-nba-draft-prospects-according-to-our-carmelo-projections/

538 is fairly high on this guy. Still, seems more like an early 2nd round pick you take a chance on rather than in the 1st.

Yeah, that number three ranking on the stats alone model was pretty interesting.

TheStepien thinks the Spurs should pick him at 19.


19

Talen Horton-Tucker- The obvious one is Goga, but if he’s gone then please make this happen. THT developing in San Antonio with Murray, White and Walker would be a very fun and unique future backcourt.

https://www.thestepien.com/2019/06/20/team-centric-boards/


He's a project but he's unique enough to be excited about if the Spurs draft him.

[Marcus Bryant]

He's a project but he's unique enough to be excited about if the Spurs draft him.

Only 18, could give him a couple years to work on his shot in Austin.

[Marcus Bryant]

Still available.

[Marcus Bryant]

And gone.

[DAF86]

Still available.

Great timing on the jinx son.

[keithington1]

F'n Lakers

[Marcus Bryant]

The rich get richer.

[Marcus Bryant]

lol