Why Getting Paid Changes Expectations and Demands on Talen Horton-Tucker

After Sunday's loss, Lakers fans registered plenty of opinions about who performed well, and who didn't. Talen Horton-Tucker, who had an uneven game for sure, saw some criticism. One comment from a viewer on the Locked On Lakers YouTube page was particularly irritated by THT's performance: "THT does NOT make his teammates better, he makes them less effective. Both Monk and Nunn are better, and both played better with THT off the floor. Sure, he made a decent play here and there, but he still plays more like a rookie than a guy making $30M," wrote "Larry G." And while it might be an overreaction to one preseason game where the team's best players basically sat out, it does drive how much more people expect out of Horton-Tucker this season. The coaches, for sure, and certainly fans. But what's a reasonable amount of improvement that can be expected? He is, after all, still only 20, and THT has still never been an everyday member of a championship level rotation. Ideally, someone like Horton-Tucker seizes a big role, maybe even a starting gig, with strong performance in training camp. But if it doesn't happen, and other guys don't quite provide the 2-way play the Lakers want, could Frank Vogel perhaps mix and match lineup combinations around the Big Three all year? Finally, the Ben Simmons saga has echoes of a moment where nobody was quite sure Kobe Bryant would show up for training camp. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: The days of being fun found money for THT are over. Fair or not, he's expected to play a big role, and play it well, especially now that he's been paid handsomely. SEGMENT 2: What is a fair amount of improvement to reasonably expect from him? The new contract doesn't suddenly add three or four years of experience to his resume. Plus, could Vogel shift his starting lineup around throughout the year, based on matchups? SEGMENT 3: The Ben Simmons drama has some similarities to the days when nobody was quite sure that Kobe Bryant would show up to training camp... but some critical differences as well. What if Kobe made his trade demands in the "player empowerment" era? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! SweatBlock Get it today for 20% off at SweatBlock.com with promo code LockedOn, or at Amazon and CVS. Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline AG There is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices