The NBA’s rich history begins with one key franchise: the Los Angeles Lakers. Numerous legends of the game have graced the courts for the purple and gold and helped them win 17 championships. The current Lakers squad just added Luka Doncic, a player who can carry the torch for LA moving forward. At least that is what Laker legend Magic Johnson thinks.
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Magic appeared on Byron Scott’s Fast Break to discuss the monumental Luka trade that occurred at the beginning of February. “I thought it was good in terms of you have somebody later as a star after LeBron retires,” the 12-time All-Star claimed. The move has paid off big for the Lakers, who now seem to be a real threat in the competitive Western Conference.
One key factor that Magic pointed out was how strong the Lakers were offensively with Luka and LeBron as teammates. “Both of those two guys are great passers so they make their other players better,” he added.
The five-time NBA Champion didn’t just sing the praises of his old team though. He pointed out their biggest flaw that he hopes they fix soon ahead of the upcoming postseason.
“Where they are gonna have to improve is on the defensive end,” Magic advised. He pointed to the Lakers’ recent loss against the Celtics, and how Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown had Luka and the Lakers off rhythm by utilizing the pick & roll.
“The playoffs are different,” stated Magic, who believed the Lakers would change up their schemes due to the series nature of the postseason.
As exciting as the Luka and LeBron duo have been in Los Angeles, the team hit an unfortunate snag that has teams in the West not feeling as scared of the squad.
Luka Doncic and the Lakers are struggling without LeBron James
The unfortunate viewpoint that Magic doesn’t touch on is the injury that LeBron sustained a couple of weeks ago. LeGOAT’s absence has led the Purple and Gold to a small losing streak, dropping them from the 2nd seed to the 5th seed.
Doncic has stepped up in LeBron’s absence though. In his last five games, he has dropped 32, 34, 22, 45, and 33 points. But the Lakers record in that stretch? 1-4, including the big loss to their arch-nemesis and defending champion Celtics.
Fortunately, LeBron is expected to be back within the next week after suffering his groin injury, and can hopefully help the Lakers find their winning ways again ahead of the playoffs. But with all eyes on Luka Doncic, it’s telling that the team began to wither once The King was sidelined.
