Lakers News: LeBron James Already Improving Teammates, Magic Johnson Says

LeBron James is already making a noticeable impact on his new Los Angeles Lakers teammates, according to the team's president of basketball operations Magic Johnson.

James signed with the Lakers earlier this summer on a four-year deal and while he was not joined by another top star, he will look to guide a promising young team back to playoff contention.

The offseason progress seems to be looking good. The 33-year-old has been working out with teammates informally at the club's training complex ahead of Tuesday when training camp for the new season commences.

The result of it? James is already making everybody better and raising their level of play as Johnson likes what he sees.

"Just to see all of them together playing a pickup game, oh my goodness," Johnson was quoted as saying. "It's something to watch. I've watched LeBron from afar. I've been at many of his games. But to watch him in the gym is a whole different thing. How much he makes everybody better, but also how he raises everybody's level of play. His basketball IQ and his leadership ability, it's all on display."

"LeBron comes in, and he's already in midseason form and shooting fadeaways and 3-pointers from almost half-court. And you're sitting there saying, 'Man, thank God we signed him,'" he said.

The current Lakers team is very different to the one that failed to make the playoffs last season with a 35-47 record. In addition to James, the likes of Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley have also been added to the roster while Julius Randle and Brook Lopez left.

It will naturally take time for such a new side to gel with each other, but Johnson already sees signs of that happening just from their training sessions.

"I mean, they are going hard," Johnson added. "It's physical. It's tough. There's trash talking. It's just a lot of fun, and also a lot of teaching at the same time. It's really great to see these young guys getting a chance to learn from champions."

Those champions will play a big role for the likes of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram. Rondo, a champion in 2008 with the Boston Celtics, is impressed by the young core in Los Angeles and along with his fellow veterans, recently claimed he hoped to instill greatness in them.

"Myself, LeBron, Lance, Mike, we’re all going to be vets that’s trying to instill greatness in these young guys," Rondo said earlier this week. "We’re going to push the (stuff) out of them. I’m sure they’ll rise to the occasion. That’s what they seem like so far."

"They’ve been in here working their butts off since I’ve been here in early August, so I look forward to getting them to the level they need to play at for us to be contenders," he said.

The Lakers kick off their 2018/19 NBA season against the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 18 at the Moda Center.