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CHARLOTTE — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver opened the NBA Technology Summit during All-Star weekend with an on-stage demonstration that featured longtime NBA commentator Ahmad Rashad being superimposed into an NBA game.
It looked like Rashad — or at least a video game version of him — was the one dribbling down the court and hammering in a one-handed tomahawk dunk.
The player who actually did those things: Talen Horton-Tucker.
Now, there's an obvious reason why Silver chose Horton-Tucker: He was a Jazz player and All-Star weekend was in Salt Lake CIty. He also fit right into the presentation. But why?
"The thing with me, I have a knack for trying to make the home run play," Horton-Tucker said.
That shouldn't surprise anyone who has watched Horton-Tucker this season. He's tried to hammer down dunks over bigger players, he's tried acrobatic reverse layups, he's tried some risky half-court alley-oops. When he's successful, it's electrifying; when he's not … well, it can lead to some rough moments.
Since becoming the Jazz starting point guard in mid February, Horton-Tucker has had five games of four or more turnovers. There's been errant passes, bad reads, and times where he didn't quite know where he was on the court. But those struggles are understandable, too.
Horton Tucker, who is just 22 years old, has been put in a difficult situation over the last month. The 6-foot-4 guard/wing/forward has the ability to handle the ball, but handles alone don't make a point guard. Before now, he's never been asked to be a full-time point guard and lead a team consistently, but that's what the Jazz have asked him to do as the season comes to a close.
"I'm trying to find my niche," he said about the playing the position.
If recent results are an indication, he's getting closer to finding that.
Over the last six quarters of play, Horton-Tucker has scored 33 points, handed out nine assists and only committed two turnovers. That includes a 23-point, eight-assist night in Utah's victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday that snapped Utah's four-game losing streak.
Yes, there were still some highlight-reel plays — like his half-court alley-oop to Ochai Agbaji — but there were subtle ones, too.
He found Lauri Markkanen just as the Finnish star was coming off a screen and led him to the basket. He collapsed the defense with a free-throw line drive, and then fired an over-the-head pass to Agbaji for an open corner 3-pointer. He came off a Markkanen pick and, instead of bull dozing into the paint, he slowed and waited for Kessler to cut to the basket for an easy lob connection.
He looked like a point guard.
"I think Talen's understanding of what it means to be a point guard continues to grow," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "There's a lot of responsibility. Starting a game, there's a lot of responsibility closing the game getting the ball where it needs to go. Sometimes that means that you have to attack, sometimes it means you have to try to generate a shot for your teammates."
And finding a balance of trying to hit the home run, or settle for a single.
When Horton-Tucker came off the bench, the Jazz mostly wanted him to get downhill and score; now, they want to see more. And with Collin Sexton out with a hamstring strain, it's a perfect chance for the Jazz to evaluate Horton-Tucker's potential as a lead guard.
They are going to give him a lot of reps and see if he can potentially play the position long term. And that's something he thinks he has in himself.
"I had those three games where I had turnovers, and I feel like everyone kind of overreacted," Horton-Tucker said. "I feel fine. Honestly, I've just tried to just find a rhythm and continue to try to help the team win."
He did just that on Thursday in Orlando.
"I thought he did a great job of understanding when to attack and when to find his teammates," Hardy said.
