Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons Talen Horton-Tucker was a good pick

1. The Lakers need affordable players

The Lakers are looking for affordable players wherever they can find them.

With LeBron and Davis’ salaries taking up a significant chunk of the salary cap — as well as whoever may become the third member of L.A.’s “Big 3” — the Lakers will need to fill out the rest of the roster with some minimum salaries and discount deals.

A rookie making second round money who can fill a roster spot is good for L.A. If that rookie can play and make an impact, even better.

Horton-Tucker definitely has weaknesses, which is why he was available at the 46th pick in the first place. He shot just 30.8 percent from 3-point range at 40.6 percent from the field at Iowa State.

He was prone to disappear on the court at times, like when he went scoreless at Oklahoma State, or when he had just two points in the Cyclones’ NCAA Tournament loss to Ohio State. He’s not very quick or incredibly athletic, and he’s young. He doesn’t have much experience playing high-level basketball.

There is plenty of upside with Horton-Tucker, however, and the Lakers were smart to take a chance on him.