Los Angeles Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson has never been shy about sharing his basketball opinions. He knows no bounds — on the spectrum of “borderline tampering” and “insanely boring,” everything’s in play.
Magic served as the Lakers President of Basketball Operations from 2017-2019. In that timeframe he brought in LeBron James and drafted a strong young core that included Chicago Bulls starting point guard Lonzo Ball.
On Monday, Magic made an appearance on ESPN’s First Take and stood by drafting Ball, calling him one of the best defensive guards in the NBA.
He went on to explain to New York Knicks super-fan Stephen A. Smith how Ball would’ve been a perfect fit for his beloved squad. Magic believes that Ball would’ve made New York an instant playoff team with his defense and facilitation. He also went into to detail about the Lakers passing on Bulls star DeMar DeRozan in the same interview, which we talked about earlier this week.
“Lonzo Ball would’ve made the Knicks a playoff team.” - Magic Johnson pic.twitter.com/3ysnQze8dA
— Jaden (@WashedJaden) April 4, 2022
Magic Johnson thinks Chicago Bulls star Lonzo Ball is one of the best guards in the NBA
Magic is an all-time great and arguably the best point guard to ever grace the game of basketball. We think we knows a thing or two about point guard talent, even in this day and age.
His take on Ball isn’t up for much debate. Ball only played 35 games with the Bulls before being sidelined with a knee injury. Despite his short time on the court, he’s still the team leader in defensive win shares and assists. He also ranks second among Bulls guards in defensive rebounding and averaged nearly two steals per game.
Magic’s praise of Ball further solidified the former No. 2 overall pick’s value on the team, something that Chicago’s recent struggles made clear.
When Ball was healthy, Chicago had one of the 10 best defenses in the leaguer and were 23-12. Since his injury, they are 22-23 and have dropped from the top of the Eastern Conference to sixth place.
Now that Ball’s been ruled out for the remainder of the season, more NBA fans on the national stage will see how much he’s missed whenever the Bulls take the court for the postseason. And Magic’s take won’t be as boring and stale has his usual Twitter activity.