Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
Magic Johnson sounds alarm on Lakers: ‘We have a problem’
By Christian Arnold,
16 days ago
Los Angeles, we have a problem.
At least that’s what Lakers legend Magic Johnson believes, as he made the case that the team has issues in a series of posts on X on Tuesday after his beloved team was knocked out of the NBA playoffs by the Nuggets.
The Lakers lost the first three games of the series before they staved off a sweep with a Game 4 win, but the final nail in the coffin came Monday night in a 108-106 loss in Game 5.
“Laker Nation, we have a problem,” Johnson wrote . “All the good teams in the West are young and talented: the Nuggets, the Timberwolves, the Thunder, and the Mavs. And the BIGGEST elephant in the room is the Spurs, who with Victor Wembanyama, will definitely be a playoff team next season.
“For the Lakers to compete with all these teams, the roster MUST improve.”
Los Angeles is certainly at a crossroads after the quick playoff elimination, which needed the team to win in the play-in round just to qualify for the first round.
“The Lakers have nobody but themselves to blame,” Johnson continued in another post . “They wouldn’t have been in the play-in game or finished as a 7th seed this season if they hadn’t lost too many games because of load management.”
He added : “And the #1 reason the Lakers can’t beat Denver in a 7 game series is because the Nuggets are mentally and physically tougher than the Lakers.”
There were some flaws with the second half of Johnson’s reasoning, specifically about the load management aspect of it.
While it has become a very popular concept to criticize in the NBA, the Lakers may not have been as guilty of it as Johnson makes it out to be.
James had been dealing with a nagging ankle injury after the All-Star break, but he missed only three games after March 1, and Anthony Davis only missed two games during that stretch.
And when one looks at the team’s roster, the Lakers had six players appear in at least 70 games during the regular season.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0