Talen Horton-Tucker Out for Lakers vs. Timberwolves with Ankle Injury

The struggling Los Angeles Lakers will be short-handed for the second half of Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reported guard Talen Horton-Tucker was ruled out for the remainder of the contest because he reaggravated an ankle sprain that has recently hampered him.

Horton-Tucker's injury wasn't the only problem for the Lakers, who found themselves down by 21 points at halftime and seemingly well on their way to a third straight loss that would drop them to an ugly 29-40 on the campaign.

The Iowa State product had two points and three rebounds on 1-of-5 shooting from the field before the injury.

While the 21-year-old was included in some trade speculation around the deadline, the Lakers chose to keep him. He has responded by averaging 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game behind 41.6 percent shooting from the field and 27.6 percent shooting from deep.

The numbers don't jump off the page, but he is also one of the younger players on a team that is loaded with notable veterans in LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and more.

Perhaps the decision to keep Horton-Tucker was made with an eye on the future because this season is starting to seem like a lost one.

Sure, the Lakers are still in position to make the play-in tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference standings, but there isn't much to feel optimistic about given the lackluster record. Westbrook has not been an ideal fit, Davis is sidelined with injury and James is forced into a position to carry the team on a nightly basis at 37 years old.

Things may be even more concerning if Horton-Tucker is sidelined with this setback.