There is no stopping the Los Angeles Lakers right now. They probably had the best off-season in the NBA and have kicked off their preseason in some style, defeating city rivals LA Clippers twice in a row.

A certain young star has been at the center of the preseason’s success, 20-year-old guard Talen Horton-Tucker. Horton, who only played six games last season, has been in an impeccable form in the two games against the Clippers.

After dropping 19 points and 9 rebounds in the first game, he almost dropped twice the points. He scored 33 points and had 10 rebounds in a blowout victory of 131-106 against the Clippers.

To this, former NBA champion, Kendrick Perkins, had an interesting reaction. Perkins wrote, “Talen has the most valuable contract in the league right now. Not comparing game or skill but reminds me of the situation.

“He’s gonna be forced to have to start like a young Kobe running Eddie Jones outta town. Too good to wait for his time, his time is now! Carry on”

Here, Perkins refers to the former Lakers point guard Eddie Jones leaving the team because of a 20-year-old rookie Kobe Bryant who played in the same position.

THT has been on a roll, and it looks like there is no stopping him right now. Coach Vogel will now have an added weapon to his already loaded arsenal.

What THT’s rise mean for other Lakers’ players?

In 1997, when the Lakers traded to bring in a 18-year-old Kobe Bryant, they did not think that he would replace their starting point guard Eddie Jones so soon.

Both Jones and Bryant were almost the same size and had a very similar skill set. Jones initially was a guide to the rookie Bryant. But Kobe was much more talented than Jones and ultimately replaced him.

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Tucker might be going on the same path as Kobe. THT played only 6 games last season. The 20-year-old had a quiet season, but Tucker stormed the NBA with his performance against the Clippers.

He showcased his talent against the starting 5 of the Clippers, which included Kawhi Leonard, Paul George etc. These performances have made a jarring statement of the 20-year-old’s arrival to the team.

Coach Vogel is already impressed by his offensive and defensive prowess on the court. This is alarming specifically for two players in the Lakers roster, Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma.

Caruso, similar to Tucker, is a defensive guard and has a pretty similar skill-set to the 20-year-old. After years of slogging in the G-League, Caruso has become a regular on the Lakers side and is coming off of an exceptional year with the team.

But with Horton proving to be a great defender and a much bigger attacking threat, Caruso’s place in the team might be in jeopardy.

Kyle Kuzma, unlike Caruso, is coming off a disappointing season to say the least. THT’s preseason performances have overshadowed the impressive performances of Kuzma.

Tucker also showed impeccable shooting form from the three point line yesterday, shooting 4-5. Rob Pelinka had said that the organization expects Kuzma to be the 3&D guy for them. If he does not put up good numbers, his position might be in jeopardy given the form the 20-year-old is in.

It remains to be seen if Tucker can continue this form in the regular season. If he does, it will be interesting to see who takes a backseat because of the young star.