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Talen Horton-Tucker makes Lakers history in the worst way: by tying a record for one of the worst three-point performances of all time.
The Lakers have reached peak mediocrity in this particular moment, sitting at a perfect .500 record with 16-16.
But the even-keeled record doesn’t accurately represent how discombobulated the Lake Show has been all season. The Russell Westbrook trade is being reevaluated, the Lakers are among the teams circling for potential trade pickups, and the Lakers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder twice. While LeBron’s repeated injuries have made this season difficult, the offense has failed to produce at the level they did during their 2020 Championship season.
Part of that offensive failure was on full display Tuesday night when Talen Horton-Tucker — the predominant name thrown around in trade conversations — horrifically missed the rim on many occasions. Horton-Tucker only made one field goal out of 13, but what’s worse is that the small forward made zero out of eight 3-point attempts.
That ties a Lakers record for the most 3-point attempts with zero being made.
Talen Horton-Tucker ties a record for one of the worst three-point performances by a Laker
Horton-Tucker isn’t just being discussed as a trading chip because his contract has enough value to be traded away in a convenient package for players like Ben Simmons or Jerami Grant: he’s also putting up “the worst 3P% in Lakers franchise history among players with 3+ attempts per game.”
As StatMuse surmises, this is the man the Lakers refused to trade for Kyle Lowry.
StatMuse’s shocking numbers illustrate the lackluster season Horton-Tucker has been having, which has a significant impact on how the Lakers’ offense is able to flow. Missing all eight three-point opportunities — and making one out of 13 baskets — sets the Lakers back by what could have been a potential 34 points. Instead, Horton-Tucker contributed two out of 90 in their 108-90 loss to the Suns.
The Lakers have limited themselves with big blockbuster trades that aren’t panning out in 2021-22, while also failing to trade away Horton-Tucker for Lowry. Now, as Bill Simmons said, the Lakers have “no outs.”