While the NBA is being purposely vague about potential dates to make decisions or play games, Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson is already thinking about some of the logistics and practicalities that would be involved in playing games without fans, whenever the NBA is able to return.
Johnson definitely understands players like LeBron James who want to finish the season, but he also knows that whenever they do a return, games without fans will create a new dynamic. LeBron himself has addressed playing without fans before, but Johnson looked at it in a different way. If the fans aren’t going to be there to provide energy, that will be an even more important job for players who aren’t playing to bring it for the team.
“The guys sitting on the bench have to be jumping up, hollering and screaming and giving them some juice, and they’ll do that,” Johnson told Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times. “Those guys sitting on that bench are going to be more important than they have ever been before if there are no fans.”
Before the season went on its current indefinite hiatus, the Lakers arguably had the best team chemistry in the NBA, with the Milwaukee Bucks the only other team in the conversation. That togetherness will be even more important for those teams if the NBA is able to restart their season and crown a 2020 champion.
