The Los Angeles Lakers 2023-24 campaign came to a pretty disappointing end, as they once again were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, as they ended up losing their first-round series in five games. And right after their season came to an end, franchise legend Magic Johnson made it clear that he believed there was one big reason for their short postseason run.
While Johnson is no longer involved with the Lakers in an official capacity, he is still one of the most popular people among Lakers fans given his contributions to the team. So once LA was officially eliminated, he was unsurprisingly pretty upset, and he called out the team's coaching staff for their load management policies as the reason their season came to an end.
Via Earvin Magic Johnson:
“The Lakers have nobody but themselves to blame. 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.”
Load management has been a hot topic of discussion in NBA circles this season, and in Johnson's eyes, the team didn't do enough to avoid the Play-In Tournament. However, after reconsidering his comments, and all the injuries that the Lakers dealt with throughout the year, Johnson ended up issuing an apology for what he said, saying that injuries were the cause of Los Angeles' disappointing campaign.
Via Earvin Magic Johnson:
“Laker Nation, I have to apologize to the Lakers organization. It was injuries that plagued the Lakers this season, not load management.”
Magic Johnson, Lakers hoping for injury-free 2024-25 campaign
From the get-go, the Lakers were torched by injuries. While their superstar duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James managed to play in 76 and 71 games, respectively, key members of the team's supporting cast missed most of the season. Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and Christian Wood all missed tons of time, which killed LA's rotation.
While there were some games where guys needed rest, that inability to develop a consistent rotation hurt the Lakers. Of course, some of the blame falls on Darvin Ham, who got too cute when it came to tinkering with the lineup on several occasions, but for Johnson to suggest that the Lakers' load management resulted in them having to battle through the Play-In Tournament to earn a tough first-round matchup with the Nuggets was a bit shortsighted.
After another disappointing season, there's a lot that is up in the air for Los Angeles, but regardless of who ends up taking the court for the team, everyone will be hoping that they manage to stay healthier next season. If they are unable to do so, though, hopefully Johnson will be a bit more understanding of their injury struggles, rather than coming out and accusing the team of load management again.
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