Lakers News: Magic Johnson Makes Prescription For Grizzlies Playoff Series Success

The former five-time Lakers champ and three-time MVP assesses how LA can improve.

Magic Johnson, a former five-time Los Angeles Lakers champion and three-time NBA MVP as a player, has always been a very entertaining Twitter follow.

Despite being a famously heady passer in his halcyon days, the Hall of Famer is infamous for his "Captain Obvious" observations, especially when it comes to diagnosing Lakers games.

Today, however, Johnson took to the social media platform to actually offer some refreshing insight into how he'd advise Los Angeles to pull off an upset victory against the Memphis Grizzlies in their upcoming 2-7 first round Western Conference playoff matchup.

If the @Lakers are going to beat the Memphis Grizzlier they have to control the pace and the role players like Reaves, Schröder, D Lo, Beasley, Hachimura, and Troy Brown Jr. have to play great to help AD and LeBron. I’d also like to see Lonnie Walker play in the Memphis series.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 12, 2023

Johnson's observation about pace is fascinating. The younger, more athletic Grizzlies can sustain a fast break offense, while 38-year-old LeBron James and 30-year-old Anthony Davis may prefer more of a half court approach at times (though James is still pretty unstoppable on the occasional fast break, he's certainly been settling for pull-up jumpers an awful lot lately). 

The other big note of interest (saying LA's role players need to play well is pretty darn Captain Obvious of him) is Johnson's assertion that reserve shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV, who has been demoted all the way from starting swingman role to being out of head coach Darvin Ham's rotation entirely, should get meaningful run against the Grizzlies.

Walker is feisty and athletic, and can knock down a three, but Malik Beasley, who has essentially taken what would have been his spot off the bench (Austin Reaves is the starting shooting guard) is a better defender and a higher-volume three-point shooter. He would be the ninth man in Ham's rotation, as backup centers Wenyen Gabriel and Mo Bamba have also been squeezed out.

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