Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson has lofty expectations for the current iteration of the team as they head into 2023-24. Los Angeles is coming off of an appearance in the Western Conference Finals in 2023, but Johnson believes that the team has done enough this offseason to get themselves over the hump in the vaunted Western Conference.

“I think they’re going to be the best team in the West this year,” said Johnson, per Brian Mahoney of the AP.

For Magic Johnson's prediction to come true, the Lakers will have to overcome the Denver Nuggets-sized roadblock that swept them out of the conference finals in 2023. Although all four games of that series were close, it was Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray who got the better of LeBron James and Anthony Davis down the stretch of all four contests en route to the sweep.

This offseason, the Lakers have made some additions to their depth, bringing in Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, and others to help supplement James and Davis, in addition to the impressive array of supporting talent already in the Los Angeles locker room.

Still, the Nuggets aren't the only team Los Angeles will have to worry about in 2023-24. Other teams like the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and perhaps even the Dallas Mavericks all figure to take a step forward heading into this season, and LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both of course a year older.

Still, Los Angeles certainly possesses the firepower to turn Magic Johnson's prediction into reality.