NBA Comparison: Jordan Adams

Strengths: 238 pounds, despite his youth, Horton-Tucker has the strength to match the vast majority of NBA guards … An elite 7’1" wingspan and strong hands also allows him to play much longer than his 6’4"; height … These traits directly helped his impressive defensive production at ISU … Blocking 23 shots (.7pg) and stealing the ball 45 times (1.3 pg) are both very good numbers for an 18 year old, and he also plays with great energy that makes him a good one on one defender who is capable of handing 3 positions at the collegiate level … In the NBA he’ll be able to guard both the point and shooting guard positions, and possibly some small forwards … Talen also has plus athletic ability, and is very quick laterally as well as an explosive leaper who has above the rim finishing ability at the guard spot … All of these traits allow him to be an great rebounder for a 6’4"; player … Averaging 4.9 rebounds per game is a very good mark for a player his size, and I suspect he’ll also be a plus rebounder at the guard spot in the NBA … Offensively he’s a pretty solid passer and has a good feel for the game … As a supplemental distributor with the Cyclones, he averaged 2.3 assists per game, and he’s a pretty solid one on one ball handler with some ability to create shots for himself … Horton-Tucker is also a tank in transition, and getting to the lane with the ability to take contact and still get a shot off … He averaged 11.8 shots per game and has the ability to heat up as he scored over 20 points in 6 games as a 2nd or 3rd option for ISU …. At the next level he’ll need to continue to hone these offensive skills, but the assumption is that he has additional potential due to the fact he won’t turn 19 until late November (2019) …

Weaknesses: Lacks size at 6’4 at the wing position, but does have a big wingspan … Not the quickest of players … Talen’s biggest weakness right now is his shooting … He shot just 40% from the field, and that’s not entirely due to a poor jumpshot … He often forced the iso game and took poor quality shots … His 3 point percentage on the year was just 30% despite taking 4.2 long range attempts per game … This also plays into his shot selection … Horton-Tucker is streaky, and can get hot, but that’s an awful lot of 3 point attempts for such a poor outside shooter … His release is also a little slow, and at the next level when defenders are bigger and more athletic, he may have a harder time in iso situations … His shooting woes also bleed over to his free throw shooting where he shot just 62% from the charity stripe … He isn’t ready for meaningful NBA minutes right now, so development will be key for him early in his career … Can be a little foul prone at times, and will probably find the NBA game a little quick for him as a rookie, needs to learn to slow down and let the game come to him.

Overall: Reported 7’1 wingspan … One of the youngest players in this draft class, Talen Horton-Tucker is a strong bodied guard with a great deal of potential … He produced well as a freshman and was both a fierce competitor, and a stand out defender … He showed the ability to get hot with the ball in his hands, but he’ll need to continue to hone his offensive game, and more specifically his shooting and shot selection … His floor is pretty low at this point due to the fact he’s currently not ready for meaningful NBA minutes, but if he starts to tap in to his upside he could ultimately become a solid two way player in the NBA …

David Ray 4/5/19