Under the Mike D’Antoni offense, there needs to be in place a skillful and All-Star caliber point guard. Even though D’Antoni has coached other teams with this system, he had the most success when Nash was running the point. Nash injured his knee early in the season, but it seems like the veteran point guard will make his return in the coming days.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson told the Los Angeles Times that he believes Nash will have a major impact on this team once he gets back on the court. Johnson claims that the Lakers are in need of a leader, and Nash is someone that can fill that role with this roster.
“They need a leader out there. They need a floor leader, and Steve Nash is one of the greatest that’s ever done it in terms of point guard,” Johnson said. “I think the point guards that the Lakers are having now, they are so inconsistent and then they don’t know how to really lead the guys. But when Steve comes back, he can do that.”
Nash has the ability to make everyone around him better and Johnson sees the impact Nash will have on players like Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard. Nash is the master at running the pick-and-roll and he has the ability to either shoot the ball himself or set his teammates up for easy looks at the basket.
The Lakers have not had their four stars on the court together at the same time for a while, although, it seems as though everything is finally coming together for the team.