feature-image

Getty

feature-image

Getty

Lakers legendary point guard Magic Johnson never shies away from giving his opinion on all things baseball and more. In fact, ever since he parted ways with the team management in 2018, he has been more vocal about his feelings for the team. In good times and in bad, he always gives an honest assessment.

Terrell Owens holding Dude Wipes XL

Watch What’s Trending Now!

ADVERTISEMENT

Recently, he tweeted about two of the big market teams in basketball and his outlook for them for the next season; namely the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. He said, “The two big market teams that need to improve are the Lakers and the Knicks.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The Knicks’ season under a microscope

Coming into the 2021-22 season, a lot was expected of the New York Knicks. They had qualified for the playoffs in 2020-21 and it was thought that the team would build on that and accomplish greater feats this season.

ADVERTISEMENT

They were also active in free agency as they traded and got all-star point guard Kemba Walker. And like that wasn’t enough, after they won their first game of the season against preseason favorites Brooklyn Nets, expectations couldn’t have been higher.

However, sadly, it went all went downhill from there.

ADVERTISEMENT

article-image

USA Today via Reuters

As the team had chemistry issues, performances across the board saw a dip when compared to last season. Julius Randle, who was an All-Star last season, couldn’t replicate his form this year. They even traded for Cam Reddish, the tenth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft from the Atlanta Hawks, to provide an impetus to the roster.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, even that was not enough for a team that struggled to stay in the upper half of the table. Certainly, next season is going to be an important one for the team for its future and its management.

Watch this story – Fans Go Ballistic as NBA Lakers Icon LeBron James Finds Seats for Miami GP: “At F1 Instead of the Playoffs”

ADVERTISEMENT

The Lakers’ outlook for next season

The Lakers also had a disappointing season this year, as the Westbrook trade didn’t pan out as they would have hoped. A team that was one of the preseason favorites had to ultimately miss the playoffs entirely. With an aging roster on their hands, the Lakers management will have their task cut out to make it a younger and healthier roster.

ADVERTISEMENT

article-image

USA Today via Reuters

The Lakers have only so much time to fully use LeBron while he is still under contract with them. And it should be their number one priority to get the roster at a level at which it can compete in the ever-strengthening western conference. The next season might decide whether LeBron will play out his contract in LA or not.

Read more – “Until Lebron James Retires He Will Remain the Greatest Player in the League and There’s No Argument”: Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry Being Miles Behind in Crazy Playoffs Stat Makes NBA Twitter Go Off

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Nirjhar Sharma

232 Articles

Nirjhar Sharma is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a sports enthusiast who follows all major sports and has been watching the NBA for the past 7 years now. A firm believer in the 'Greek Freak' being the best player in the league right now, he believes that the Bucks are primed for another championship run unless the injury bug bites them. A Business Economics graduate from the University of Delhi, Nirjhar eventually dreams of working with a sports franchise either in India or abroad in a management role. He is also a die-hard MS Dhoni and Roger Federer fan and is of the opinion that Josh Allen is currently the best QB in the NFL.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Melroy Fernandes

ADVERTISEMENT