With 19 wins in their last 20 games and the league’s best record at 23-5, the Utah Jazz has looked like the NBA’s best team for most of the season. The Jazz is now considered as a legitimate title contender, and one man who believes they have what it takes to reach the Finals is former Lakers point guard Magic Johnson.
Johnson, who is never shy about sharing his thoughts on the NBA and its players on social media, tweeted that Utah has all the ingredients needed to make a run to the Finals.
The Utah Jazz have everything you need to go to the NBA Finals…great guard play by Mike Conley & superstar Donovan Mitchell, dominate defense led by Rudy Gobert & Royce O'Neale, they are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league led by Joe Ingles & Bojan Bogdanovic
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 16, 2021
The five-time champion highlighted Jazz guards Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, who he called a superstar. Mitchell is certainly playing like one after being named as an All-Star for the first time last season, averaging 24.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.8% from the field and 39.2% from beyond the arc.
Johnson also noted the stellar defense being played by Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale, with Gobert emerging as one of the favorites for the Defensive Player of the Year award, which he had previously won in 2018 and 2019.
Finally, the three-time MVP mentioned Utah’s deadly outside shooting, which is led by Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic. The Jazz currently leads the league in three-pointers made per game, averaging 16.8 makes from beyond the arc on 42.4 attempts for a 39.5% shooting clip from outside.
One player that the Laker legend failed to mention, however, is sixth man Jordan Clarkson, who made eight three-pointers and dropped 40 points in the team’s 134-123 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in their game on Monday.
Johnson will always support the Lakers, but right now, he sees in the Jazz a team that can give the defending champions a tough challenge and is capable of representing the Western Conference in the Finals.
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