Magic Johnson, a household name and synonym for the Los Angeles Lakers’ tradition of excellence, overflows with love and excitement for his cherished team. In a recent talk, Johnson’s voice chimed excitedly as he praised the masterstroke pulled by Lakers vice president of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka. Johnson was “really, really giddy” about the Lakers next season.

Johnson’s perspective is clear: With LeBron James leading the Lakers, they are title contenders yet again and he has attributed a large amount of that comeback-to-life to Pelinka’s master moves. From the trade deadline to this past summer’s off-season, Pelinka has engineered some savvy moves that have revitalized the Lakers and made them a contender again in the NBA.

Magic’s Stamp Rob Pelinka’s Lakers Transformation

Magic’s glowing praise of Rob Pelinka signifies the Lakers’ potential but also gives Lakers fans across the globe something to rally around. Johnson has made no bones about believing the Lakers should “embrace this championship thing,” in a conversation with Pelinka, “and you’re a big part of helping create that dream.”.

His moves in the offseason were a worthy follow-up to his mid-season remake of the team and he is getting kudos everywhere. The return of crucial pieces like Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell, coupled with smart adds in Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Jaxon Hayes, Taurean Prince, and Cam Reddish, has almost guaranteed their success.

Johnson said Thursday during a phone interview. “This is a championship team and they shouldn’t run away from that. They should embrace that and then go for it. I think LeBron sees it too. One thing I’m really happy about is that he can see that he has a championship team. And when him and Anthony Davis feel like, ‘Oh, man. OK, we can win it all,’ watch out for them.”

Magic Johnson puts this team’s added depth, quickness, and dynamics out there in the open so you can inspect and see that it will be hard for the team to suffer and not have it all work anyway. The Lakers’ ability to switch up their style of play, while keeping their top players like Anthony Davis, is an encouraging sign regarding Los Angeles’ pursuit of a championship.

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“He’s made it clear to me multiple times over the last three years that Rob Pelinka is the Executive of the Year in his eyes,” Magic says he appreciates Pelinka’s detailed way of thinking about each player and what they add to the team.

Coach Ham’s Impact Lakers’ Turbulent Journey to the Conference Finals

Magic Johnson also threw some praise to Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, who kept the ship afloat amidst a challenging season and guided them to the Western Conference Finals. Johnson calls out the growth he’s seen in Ham through the season, ultimately leading to some remarkable playoff choices that put on display Ham’s coaching excellence.

The Lakers are slated for an impressive year, with media day and training camp ahead. Pelinka’s savvy leadership combined with Ham’s experience in coaching could bring us a great season! Johnson claims that the sum of their tactics, application, and bench make them the dominant team in the Western Conference heading for an NBA title run.

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