The history of the Los Angeles Lakers organization is second to none. Players from the past, present and future have and will admire at least one player who wore the Purple & Gold.
For Minnesota Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, his childhood and basketball aspirations took place in one of the premiere eras of NBA basketball — the 1980s. One of the greatest players of that era, and the Lakers in general, was Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson.
When ClutchPoints’ Joey Mistrettaasked Towns about who his favorite player in any era is, he revealed his admiration for arguably the greatest point guard of all time in Johnson:
“I’m a big fan of Len Bias, but I am going to say.. number 32 became a thing for me because of Magic Johnson. The way he made his teammates better, showtime and you could not beat that. When I was young, I was always wanting to make my teammates better, so shoutout to Magic for giving me that confidence to do it.”
The 26-year-old is entering what some individuals label as an athlete’s prime, where the player is tapping into his maximum potential or peak. Towns, a three-time All-star, has a chance to begin his prime on the right foot heading into this season.
As a near 7-footer, Towns has the all-around game on both sides of the floor to impact and lead the Timberwolves to a competitive postseason trip with now a reloaded roster featuring star center Rudy Gobert as his frontcourt partner.
The Western Conference is very crowded though, which should make for a fun postseason race with both the Timberwolves and Lakers involved.
Beverley plans to hound Chris Paul until his ankles fall off
It is no secret what Lakers guard Patrick Beverley brings to the table. At a mighty 6-foot-1-inch build, the new Lakers backcourt member brings energy, defensive tenacity and culture-setting to an L.A team that is in need of turning over a new leaf this season.
Beverley has trademarked himself as a controversial figure in the league but is a positive influence in a locker room to bring a sense of brotherhood and a winning attitude. One of the unique things that the veteran guard has is history with his NBA peers.
Specifically, Beverley has a history going up against Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul. Beverley loves the competition and playing hardcore defense so much that he recently stated he would hound and pest Paul until his ankles fall off.
As loud and obnoxious as other NBA fans think Beverley can be, he is exactly what a championship team needs. For the Lakers, they struck gold with a defensive and another locker room leader to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
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