• Magic Johnson has made his Western Conference predictions ahead of the 2023-24 season
• Johnson thinks the Lakers and Suns will meet in the Conference Finals
• The Laker legend picks his old franchise to beat the Suns and make the NBA Finals
NBA teams will be resuming basketball activities in the next week as training camp is almost here. We are very close to tip-off for the NBA season and Magic Johnson is already weighing in with his predictions. The five-time champion believes the Lakers and Suns will meet in the Western Conference Finals, with the Lakers then advancing to the NBA Finals.
“My bold pick for the West is the Lakers and Phoenix Suns will be playing in the Western Conference Finals and the Lakers will win!”
My bold pick for the West is the Lakers and Phoenix Suns will be playing in the Western Conference Finals and the Lakers will win!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 27, 2023
Johnson is naturally biased toward the Lakers by virtue of spending his entire NBA career with the franchise where he won five titles. But there is a good reason behind Johnson picking the Lakers in this situation, given the offseason masterclass Rob Pelinka has put up to perfectly round out the team with high-value minimum players and shrewd re-signings.
The Suns just made a big change to their roster, trading Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara in a three-team deal that landed them Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, and Grayson Allen, as a part of the Damian Lillard trade. These acquisitions have been a big boost to the poor depth on their roster.
Have The Suns Done Enough To Be Better Than The Lakers?
The Jusuf Nurkic acquisition is just setting in, so everyone will have more clarity as the training camp starts. Nurkic averaged 13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists last season and is less athletic and more injury-prone than Ayton was for the Suns. He is a little more skilled and could be a better offensive fit, but this move is another sign that the Suns are committing to outscoring teams.
Nassir Little and Grayson Allen are legitimate rotational options for the Suns and will provide some cover from using exclusively minimum-contract players to fill out a rotation. This move definitely improved them in the ways they needed to find improvement. Nurkic’s success on the team entirely depends on how healthy he can stay.
The Lakers’ calling card for being better than the Suns was their rotational depth and defense. While the defense is still intact, the depth may not matter as the Suns have constructed a roster with at least an eight-man playoff rotation that can give the Lakers a lot of trouble. The Suns are more top-heavy and we know that is a way to have success in the NBA, so we’ll have to see it play out.
Magic Johnson Believes The Lakers Are Championship Favorites
Johnson recently expressed that he looks at the Lakers as the best team in the Western Conference, a stance that is seemingly unchanged after the Suns made their trade to acquire Nurkis, Allen, and Little.
“I think they’re going to be the best team in the West this year.”
The Lakers roster is headlined by an injury-prone duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But the team has accounted for that and built a roster with adequate role players that can step into whatever situation they’re being asked to. James has plenty of backups on the wing, with Taurean Prince being one of the key additions in that role.
For Davis, the Lakers have Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood waiting in the wings. It’s just a question of whether they’ll be healthy when they’re having a marquee matchup against the Suns or when it comes time for the playoffs.
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