(Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Former Los Angeles Lakers player and president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson, has never shied away from offering his take on the team. Even since resigning from the role in 2019, Johnson remains ready and willing to discuss his former team.
That stood true again ahead of the team’s first-round NBA playoff matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While JJ Redick, LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the No. 3 seed Lakers prepare to square off with rising star Anthony Edwards, Johnson admitted he was “scared” of the matchup.
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Specifically, Johnson cited Edwards as a “matchup problem” for the Lakers.
It’s a fair statement from Johnson, considering Edwards has been named an NBA All-Star three times already after being the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The 23-year-old also made the All-NBA Second Team in 2024 and is one of the most talented young players in the league. However, there’s an argument to make on both sides of this one.
The Lakers’ trio of James, Doncic and breakout star Austin Reaves has been a matchup nightmare for opponents down the stretch of the regular season.
Doncic also squared off with Edwards and the Timberwolves last season in the playoffs while on the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks won that series 4-1, and it’s fair to argue that this Lakers team has more talent than Dallas did at the time, while Minnesota traded Karl-Anthony Towns after last season.
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Regardless, the Lakers-Timberwolves series should be fun for fans, but Minnesota is likely facing its own “matchup problem” in the form of LeBron, Luka and Reaves.
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