Memphis Grizzlies: 5 NBA Draft Prospects To Watch During The NCAA Tournament
By Chris Kern
Talen Horton-Tucker
Talen Horton-Tucker is an extremely talented prospect who is extremely underrated. Out of all of the NBA Draft prospects in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, he might be the one who can most improve his stock if he plays well.
Currently, he is slotted in the first-round of most Mock Drafts. In CBS Sports’ most recent Mock they have him going 22nd overall to the Boston Celtics. In a recent Fansided Mock draft they also have him going to Boston but with the 19th pick.
His ability to make plays for both himself and others is something that will translate to the next level. He came into college with many people expecting him to be there for at least a couple of years but now he seems to be a surefire first-round pick.
In 34 games so far this season he has averaged 12.1 points, 5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He is a versatile forward that will be able to play multiple positions at the next level. He can play on the wing while he also can run the offense from the point guard spot.
In today’s NBA versatility is such a huge part of many teams formulas so he will have many teams willing to spend their first-round draft pick on him. He does have some weaknesses though which is why he is slotted outside the lottery at the moment.
His three-point shooting has been inconsistent this season and while he has shown the ability to knock down tough shots, he is shooting just 31% from deep. That is an area he will have to improve at the next level.
One player he reminds me of is P.J. Tucker of the Houston Rockets. Horton-Tucker is 6’5″ 240 pounds which is very close to Tucker and they also have similar skillsets. They both can make plays on the defensive end of the floor and the offensive games are pretty similar.
Horton-Tucker might be a little bit better in terms of creating an running an offense but comparing a college offense to an NBA offense is hard to do. We will need to see him do it at the next level before we know for sure.
Most college wings aren’t big enough to keep him from attacking the basket and he will need to find other ways to get to the rim in the NBA. He is more than capable of having success in that area at the next level still but it will be a bit more difficult than in college.
So think about it this way, if he were set to have a career similar to Tucker, where would you draft him? The middle of the first round is probably as high as teams would be willing to go for a guy like that. He will be better than some of the guys selected ahead of them, but he will need to show a higher ceiling than he currently has if he wants to sneak into the lottery.
Many people watch the NCAA Tournament who haven’t watched college basketball all season. The top prospects get all the glory but we already know about them and their spot at the top of the lottery is already almost set in stone. This is a great opportunity for Horton-Tucker to prove himself as a potential star at the next level.