Lakers’ Talen Horton-Tucker out 4 weeks; team signs Sekou Doumbouya to two-way contract

For the adjacent month, Talen Horton-Tucker volition beryllium taking successful games from the sideline.

The 20-year-old Lakers wing, 1 of their apical escaped cause signings this summer, had thumb country connected Tuesday, and the squad said helium volition beryllium evaluated successful 4 weeks.

Horton-Tucker’s wounded – a torn ulnar collateral ligament – is simply a spot of a mystery. Coach Frank Vogel said Horton-Tucker wasn’t definite however helium wounded his thumb, lone that it began to swell up aft Friday’s preseason crippled astatine Golden State. It delays the commencement of the play for a subordinate Vogel viewed arsenic acceptable to “take a jump” aft signing a three-year, $32 million woody successful August.

“It hurts conscionable from a antiaircraft standpoint,” Vogel said. “We’ve challenged Talen to beryllium 1 of our perimeter stoppers this year. He had immoderate truly bully sequences successful campy and successful the preseason games, successful peculiar connected the ball.”

The Lakers are already feeling the squeeze: Veteran guardant Trevor Ariza is besides retired aft ankle surgery, with astir 7 much weeks successful his recovery. They were counting connected the duo to bolster the helping presumption defensively, which limits immoderate of what the squad tin bash successful its lineups.

Vogel acknowledged that it makes immoderate of the rotation for the Oct. 19 play opener much clear, with players specified arsenic Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk playing connected the wings. But helium besides envisions All-Stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook chewing up a batch of minutes and shortening the rotation by necessity.

“If you person Russ, Bron and A.D. each playing 30-plus minutes, sometimes high-30s immoderate games, there’s not a batch of different minutes to spell astir with those different spots,” helium said.

Getting extent assistance factored into the squad signing Sekou Doumbouya, a 6-foot-8 guardant to a two-way contract, enabling him to divided his clip betwixt the Lakers and their G League affiliate. Doumbouya played his archetypal 2 NBA seasons with the Detroit Pistons (5.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and was successful grooming campy with the Brooklyn Nets. His lone preseason crippled came against the Lakers erstwhile helium had 11 points and 4 rebounds.

With Doumbouya and Gonzaga merchandise Joel Ayayi, the Lakers present person some two-way declaration spots connected their roster filled. They person 1 much regular roster spot they tin use, but General Manager Rob Pelinka has suggested they would similar to permission it unfastened for flexibility aboriginal successful the season.

In the abbreviated term, the Lakers are hopeful for a brisk betterment for Horton-Tucker. Veteran defender Rajon Rondo said he’s been a instrumentality of the Chicago autochthonal since playing against him during practices successful the pandemic bubble successful 2020, erstwhile the then-teenager would play the relation of James Harden oregon Westbrook for the scout team.

“He would destruct us,” Rondo said. “And we got to spot his endowment to wherever determination was nary plays called for him, helium conscionable got the shot and made plays. To me, that was the turning constituent wherever I thought helium would beryllium a hellhole of a player.”