On Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers held another pre-draft workout for six more players that the team might be considering for their late first-round pick in the NBA Draft on June 22. As usual, the team’s president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson, was in attendance for the workouts and during some down time putting on a little shooting display shooting off his midrange game.
Although not known for his shooting prowess during his NBA career with the Lakers, Johnson showed he can still knock down some shots at the practice facility. Magic may no longer be a young buck with the five-time NBA champion set to turn 58 in August, but he can still hit those jumpers with relative ease.
The Lakers Twitter account gave us all a peak at Magic shooting around on Sunday:
Still a midrange knockdown ????#LakeShow @MagicJohnson pic.twitter.com/Rs0Nif0wlA
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 11, 2017
Johnson may have taken his talents into the business world and into the Lakers front office, but his skills on the basketball court will never be forgotten. The three-time NBA MVP had a flair about his game that had never been seen at the time and has arguably never been replicated since as the undisputed leader of the Showtime Lakers.
As you can see from the video above that Johnson had the midrange game down, but his passing ability was second to none. It’s been decades since Magic had fans on their feet on a nightly basis at the Great Western Forum and in NBA arenas across the country, but it’s hard to argue that no one has since had this kind of elite court vision since he walked away from the game.
Hopefully, for the sake of the Lakers franchise, Johnson will be able to find the team’s next star with talent comparable to his own. Lonzo Ball might be that player as he has received some comparisons to Jason Kidd and could be the right fit for the Lakers at No. 2 in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft on June 22.