Lakers legend Magic Johnson was the same age as Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Ja Morant when he had already eclipsed the Finals MVP title twice.
Advertisement
Magic Johnson is widely regarded as the greatest point guard ever to grace the NBA hardwood. The league had never witnessed a player with the size of Magic play the point guard position.
To date, the former NCAA champion remains the only player to win both rookie of the year and Finals MVP in the same season.
While talking about the current era’s guards, such as Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Ja Morant, it is hard to say if anyone can surpass Magic. Though Luka and Trae have shown shades of being a superstar, none of them have achieved as much as a 22-year old Magic did.
Magic was a generational athlete with incredible basketball IQ and play-making ability. The current crop of guards in the NBA has a great role model in Magic to follow.
Magic Johnson was crowned Finals MVP twice against the Philadelphia 76ers
During his Finals appearance as a rookie, the Lakers point guard averaged 21.5 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 8.7 APG, and 2.7 SPG on a 57.3% shooting from the field. Magic’s stellar performance in Game 6 is one of the most iconic Finals performances.
At the mere age of 20, Magic took the reigns of the Lakers in his hands due to an ankle injury to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game 5. His 40+ point performance in game 6 earned him the Finals MVP award.
Magic won his second Finals MVP title in 1982. The point guard averaged 16.2 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 8.0 APG, and 2.5 SPG on a 53.3% shooting from the field. Magic had established himself as the best player by the age of 22.
Let that sink in… pic.twitter.com/APEUyYnSJE
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) September 13, 2021
The guards of the current era, Luka, Trae, and Ja, are yet to reach the NBA Finals. Luka and Ja have failed to make it past the first round of the post-season. While these young stars might have great individual stats, the ability to perform at a bigger level is what makes a player an all-time great.
