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What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:27 pm
by XPeak
... Alright, aside from girls, HIV, etc. Let's keep the thread positive.
Laat time I created a Duncan one. This time, I'm curious, as Magic has a great resume. Yet, we have LeBron "absolutely" over him in GOAT rankings. Maybe even Bill Russell.
So what was his weakness that doesn't allow him to be UP there in the Top 3?
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:32 pm
by gipper08
1984.(but he is equal to LBJ at worst)
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:36 pm
by Deivork
Outside shooting
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:39 pm
by Forte IV
I dont think he could really shot from 3. He had one season where he shot well.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:39 pm
by prophet_of_rage
Deivork wrote:Outside shooting
If you want to knock Johnson:
3 point shot
Lateral speed
Leaping ability
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Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:42 pm
by The4thHorseman
No jumper, would just back his man down for 20 seconds
Barely attempted to play defense.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:54 pm
by The_Hater
Magic’s shooting improved quite a bit during his career and while he wasn’t Bird, I don’t think it was a weakness for most of career. You can’t just look at 3 point percentages to evaluate because most outside shots were taken in the 16-23 foot range in that era.
My answer would be Defense. He wasn’t a stopper and was fortunate to play beside so many very good/great defenders who could take on the best opponents allowing him to freelance off the weakest offensive players.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:55 pm
by Liam_Gallagher
XPeak wrote:... Alright, aside from girls, HIV, etc. Let's keep the thread positive.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:01 pm
by Lockdown504090
XPeak wrote:... Alright, aside from girls, HIV, etc. Let's keep the thread positive.
Laat time I created a Duncan one. This time, I'm curious, as Magic has a great resume. Yet, we have LeBron "absolutely" over him in GOAT rankings. Maybe even Bill Russell.
So what was his weakness that doesn't allow him to be UP there in the Top 3?
I saw the word positive and I just couldnt help myself. Im ashamed.
Athleticism
1. Lateral quickness.2. Leaping ability
Skill.
1. Mechanical Release from deep that took kinda long
mentality/other stuff i cant categorize
1. Played down or up to his competition( didnt always try hard against teams that werent as good.. Let him see a celtics jersey and he turned into lebron
2. Longevity. He was positive even till the end of it, but testing positve really ruined his shot at being the GOAT, even though he had GOAT talent.
3. Era. If he was in today's more disciplined era, he would have a legitimate shot of being better than lebron and mj, because most of what he had at 29 is what he had at 21 minus the shot, and he would probably be a better athlete.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:30 pm
by 70sFan
Yeah, his defensive effort was inconsistent and his defensive instinct wasn't great.
I disagree with outside shot - he became a great shooter late in his career. Elite FT shooter, strong spot up shooter and his midrange game was good even if underutilized.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 3:33 pm
by 70sFan
Lockdown504090 wrote:3. Era. If he was in today's more disciplined era, he would have a legitimate shot of being better than lebron and mj, because most of what he had at 29 is what he had at 21 minus the shot, and he would probably be a better athlete.
That's not true though, Magic improved tremendously from the early 1980s to late 1980s. He always had rare passing gift, but other than that he was very raw when he came into the league. When he reached his peak he became possibly the best offensive player ever.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:02 pm
by cupcakesnake
For a long time I didn't get what made Magic so good. Yes he was big and an amazing passer, but his reputation as a weak-shooter and a poor defender made me confused how he was so successful and why he was always ranked higher than Bird or even guys like Hakeem, Shaq, Duncan.
So his weaknesses are well known, like I said above: poor shooter, bad defender, not a special athlete vertical.
But after watching enough tape... I get it. Prime Magic was overwhelming in transition with his strength and intuitive passing ability. He's a top 3 passer of all-time, if not the very best. In the half court, he was a ruthless, strategic mismatch hunter, capable of instantly turning a weakspot in the defense into a bucket for his team. He really hunted these mismatches, not just to create a shot for himself, he's find mismatches on the weakside and whip a pass to put the Lakers in a fortunate situation. His shooting was reluctantly early in his career and he didn't have a pull up. But look at those free throw numbers... Magic clearly always had high level touch. His prime was cut very short due to his illness, but even his 3-point numbers eventually reflected his shooting ability. If he had played 2-3 more seasons, we'd probably remember him as a very solid shooter. He wasn't a good defender, but he was a big body and he tried. No real evidence of him holding defenses back, even if there's lots of footage of him getting confused in rotations and not being a super great on-ball guy.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:12 pm
by mademan
I'd guess the reason most dont have him in the top 3 is longevity. Kareem and (probably) Lebron are 20 year monsters
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:28 pm
by Capn'O
jamaalstar21 wrote:For a long time I didn't get what made Magic so good. Yes he was big and an amazing passer, but his reputation as a weak-shooter and a poor defender made me confused how he was so successful and why he was always ranked higher than Bird or even guys like Hakeem, Shaq, Duncan.
So his weaknesses are well known, like I said above: poor shooter, bad defender, not a special athlete vertical.
But after watching enough tape... I get it. Prime Magic was overwhelming in transition with his strength and intuitive passing ability. He's a top 3 passer of all-time, if not the very best. In the half court, he was a ruthless, strategic mismatch hunter, capable of instantly turning a weakspot in the defense into a bucket for his team. He really hunted these mismatches, not just to create a shot for himself, he's find mismatches on the weakside and whip a pass to put the Lakers in a fortunate situation. His shooting was reluctantly early in his career and he didn't have a pull up. But look at those free throw numbers... Magic clearly always had high level touch. His prime was cut very short due to his illness, but even his 3-point numbers eventually reflected his shooting ability. If he had played 2-3 more seasons, we'd probably remember him as a very solid shooter. He wasn't a good defender, but he was a big body and he tried. No real evidence of him holding defenses back, even if there's lots of footage of him getting confused in rotations and not being a super great on-ball guy.
Bingo. Plus, at 6'9" he was a walking mismatch himself.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 5:56 pm
by ropjhk
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 6:06 pm
by Galloisdaman
Magic could shoot outside at times but he had some sort of set shot that was not as fast or pretty as most other shooters. He would even make some clutch shots but nobody would mistake him for Bird or Curry as a shooter.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 7:37 pm
by snaquille oatmeal
Deivork wrote:Outside shooting
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:00 am
by mynameKIM
I think he wasn't a great ball handler. I've seen defenders guard him from 94 feet that forces Magic to slowly mechanically dribble the ball up the court with his back to the basket that nearly used up the entirety of the Lakers possession.
There is no universe where any 1 defender can force the likes of Kyrie, CP3, Harden, Curry to struggle to pass the halfcourt line.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:45 am
by Uncle Mxy
Talk show hosting.
Re: What was Magic Johnson's Weakness
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:56 am
by Tracymcgoaty
orgies