Few people outside of Ames or Chicago expected Talen Horton-Tucker to be an immediate impact player, let alone a first-round hopeful. He has hired an agent and is exploring the draft as of earlier in the week.
Position: SF | From: Iowa State | Class/YOB: Freshman |
Height: 6’4 | Weight: 230 | Wingspan: 7’0 |
Strengths:
- Tremendous length for his height. Uses 7-foot wingspan to his advantage in nearly every area of his game
- Switch potential as a defender. Capable of guarding every spot at the college level. Has very good hands, regularly leading to strips and deflections. Moves with purpose as a help defender. Defensive versatility is his best trait
- Decent playmaking feel. Worked well in pick-and-rolls. Capable of initiating against pressure when necessary. Good open court weapon due to his ability to take defensive rebounds and starting the break
- Slashes to the rim and uses his length to push shots over defenses. Won’t ever be asked to be a go-to option in the NBA, but he can do enough with the ball to get to the basket. Makes a lot of shots from unorthodox angles
- Very projectable frame. Wide shoulders and plus strength for a wing. If he leans down, he should become quicker and develop into an elite defender who can score and make plays on the move
Weaknesses:
- Will need to show at the combine and during workouts that he can shoot the three. He took about five a game, but was wildly inconsistent. There is potential there, so it may just be a matter of youth. Poor fool shooting and a slow release are bad signs, but he’s also got decent form, so it is a wait-and-see skill today
- Not an isolation scorer at this point. While he can do a little bit off the dribble, he ran into problems when players starting to take away his straight-line drives. Developing that pull-up game from 15-19 feet should open things up for his drives
- Redefined his body in the last year, though he still has to become more cut to maximize his game as a do-it-all wing
- He is still very young and makes some mistakes that show it. Wants to be more of a playmaker than he is ready to be at this stage
PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TPG | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
11.8 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 40.6% | 30.8% | 62.5% |