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Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson has drawn the line in the sand as it pertains to his young roster following Sunday's drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Johnson was vocally against what he perceived to be the “babying” of the younger players on his roster:
Magic is drawing the line on criticizing the young Lakers. pic.twitter.com/bQrp8f4wJO
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 11, 2019
Johnson's defense of his young nucleus comes in light of the situation surrounding the Trade Deadline in which the Lakers' man in charge reportedly offered many of those same players to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for All-Star Anthony Davis. The buzz surrounding the franchise since then has focused on the team's failed trade attempts, as opposed to their current spot in the Western Conference standings.
One of those young guys is Kyle Kuzma, who erupted for 39 points during Sunday's loss to Philly. Kuzma is now averaging 19.1 points per game during his sophomore campaign, second on the team to only LeBron James. Joining him with an increased scoring average is fellow youngster Brandon Ingram, who is still just 21 years old despite the fact that 2018-19 is his third year in the league. Ingram is up to 17 PPG, which ranks as third-best on the club.
With the Trade Deadline in the rearview mirror, the young Laker trio of Kuzma, Ingram and Lonzo Ball will remain in Hollywood until at least through the end of the season. The team is teetering on the precipice of playoff contention, sitting 2.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth seed through play Sunday. The club's fate will rest on their youngsters down the stretch one way or the other
