Magic Johnson has revised his previous criticism of the Los Angeles Lakers following their underwhelming season.
The Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in five games during the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Following the conclusion of the Lakers’ season on Monday, several commentators, including Johnson, have been vocal about the team’s performance issues.
Initially, on Tuesday, Johnson attributed the Lakers’ struggles to “load management.”
“The Lakers have only themselves to blame. The need for a play-in game or finishing as the 7th seed wouldn’t have happened had they not lost so many games due to load management,” Johnson stated on X on Tuesday.
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However, by Wednesday, Johnson had revised his stance, citing injuries as the primary reason for the team’s difficulties.
“Laker Nation, I owe an apology to the Lakers organization. The main issue this season was injuries, not load management,” Johnson updated on X on Wednesday.
Speculation arises whether Lakers’ owner Jeanie Buss influenced Johnson’s change in tone.
Despite LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves each playing over 70 games this season, questions linger whether players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent were critical missing components. It seems someone might be persuading Johnson to adopt this view.
Alternatively, could the Lakers’ early playoff exit simply be due to stronger competition in the Western Conference?
