The Lakers legend Magic Johnson went on X tonight (July 26) and penned down his thoughts on LeBron James’ move to the 76ers. He also previewed the Lakers’ offseason moves to replace him on their roster.
“After trading for one of the best two-way players in the league and NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown, the Sixers then signed the biggest free agent on the market this summer, four-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer LeBron James,” wrote Johnson.
“LeBron makes the Sixers one of the best teams in the NBA and the biggest threat to the World Champion Knicks in the Eastern Conference. Philly’s starting lineup will have four All-Stars, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey, and offensively they will be great.”
“But all four are used to having the ball in their hands, so I’m interested to see what type of offense Coach Nurse draws up,” the Lakers’ legend added.
“I have two big questions for Philly: one is on the defensive end, and the other is their team chemistry. If they answer those two… watch out!”
Three of the five players in their starting lineup, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid, are not known for their defensive prowess. Rather, they face a lot of scrutiny over their lack of effort on the defensive end. So that might be a problem that potentially ends up biting them in the postseason.
But the problem of team chemistry still seems to be fixable. With Tyrese Maxey as the primary playmaker, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James both become off-ball shooters that could get wide-open looks when Maxey drives the ball in.
Embiid will need to shift into a lot more off-ball pick-and-roll action where he mainly operates inside the paint and doesn’t worry about the perimeter defense. Whereas VJ Edgecombe becomes a slasher and a lob threat with Maxey running the offense.
Hence, I can envision a scenario where team chemistry in terms of roles and expectations can clearly be worked on throughout the season. But the defensive woes are what still hold me back from calling them true championship contenders today.
Meanwhile, the Lakers had a major hole to fill in their roster to replace LeBron James. Magic Johnson sounded very impressed with what they were able to do with the resulting salary cap space they had.
“I said this offseason the Lakers had to get younger, more athletic, and faster, and they did just that,” he wrote.
“We got a young, athletic center in Walker Kessler who can score and is a great rim protector, and I was so happy they signed two-time All-Defensive player Matisse Thybulle!”
“I’ve enjoyed watching the two young players Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes. Sexton’s speed and quickness, and Grimes’ scoring and defense make them two great pickups for the Lakers!”concluded an optimistic Magic Johnson.
The new-look Lakers are far away from being considered true championship contenders either. However, they are well built around a similar blueprint as that of the 2024 Mavericks roster, which Luka Doncic led to the NBA Finals against most odds at the time.
Hence, anything is possible in the 2026-27 season. It will be interesting to see the intensity of the matchup when the 76ers face the Lakers for the first time since these moves.
Do you feel either of these two rosters is a genuine championship contender? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
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