High-profile Lakers fan Magic Johnson fired off a series of enthusiastic tweets Tuesday night regarding the team's double-overtime victory over Milwaukee. The NBA legend was impressed by Los Angeles' free-throw shooting, as well as the dynamic performances of Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves. Johnson is buying into the team's recent hot streak, despite their inconsistent play all season.
Is Magic overreacting, or is he onto something?
The Lakers now sit ninth in the Western Conference after their fourth straight win. However, part of the reason for their lackluster standing is due to the strength of the conference this season. Los Angeles' 39-32 record would've been good enough for fourth in the West at this point last year.
Johnson did bring up legitimate points. The Lakers rose to the occasion and completed a season sweep of a championship-contending Bucks team. Furthermore, both wins came without 39-year-old franchise lifeline LeBron James. This shows that the team's supporting cast is capable of taking care of business on their own on any given night.
While James' ankle injury isn't believed to be serious, it's good that the team can win without its aging superstar. D'Angelo Russell has especially stepped up in his absence. The veteran guard put up a 44-point masterpiece in the Lakers' first win over Milwaukee on March 8th. He then followed that up with 29 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds including 10-0f-10 shooting from the charity stripe Tuesday night.
What's more, three of these last four wins have come against teams with winning records. In addition to the Bucks, Los Angeles also beat the Pacers and 76ers. With the playoffs coming up in a few weeks, Johnson is right that the Lakers are “playing some of their best basketball at the right time.”
What's the Lakers' ceiling?
“He’s fearless – I love coaching the kid … He wants to win. He’s a flat out winner.”
– Darvin Ham on Reaves, who drained the game-winning 3 in double OT. https://t.co/49RBAXviQH— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 27, 2024
Head coach Darvin Ham echoed Johnson's excitement, heavily praising both Reaves and Davis' heroic efforts. Davis was particularly impressive, as he recorded 34 points and 23 rebounds while playing through a knee injury. Ham wasn't shy about expressing his appreciation.
“He assured me he was going to push through … kudos to him, he played his a** off,” Ham said.
While it's a nice story for this game, this isn't the right time for Davis to be fighting injuries. The Lakers have absolutely no chance of getting past the first round without both him and James in the lineup and healthy. Therefore, they should each be using these next few weeks to heal up as much as possible.
It's a good sign that Reaves and Rui Hachimura (16 points, 14 rebounds) are playing well, as they were each key contributors in the team's playoff run last season. However, Russell will have to prove that he can shine under the bright lights this time around. The former Brooklyn Net had a solid regular season last year but noticeably dropped off when the games mattered most.
Overall, Johnson and the Laker faithful have plenty of reasons to be excited, but expectations should be tempered. In order for the team to put together any semblance of last year's run, it'll need to battle serious contenders while also maintaining its health and consistency.
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