Getty Lonzo Ball and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers high five. During Magic Johnson’s scorched earth interview with ESPN’s First Take this morning, he briefly peeled back the curtain on the dynamic between LeBron James and some of the team’s younger players. While many in the media felt James was personally trying to dump off the Lakers’ young talent for an immediate impact player, Johnson painted a vastly different picture. Rather than being at odds with the young players, according to Magic, LeBron was an ideal leader and in particular, took Lonzo Ball under his wing. Lakers’ LeBron James Mentoring Lonzo Ball On & Off Court, Says Magic After shooting down any rumors that the Lakers are considering trading LeBron James, Magic laughed the question off. Unfortunately for Ball, he struggled with injuries in his sophomore campaign and we never got to see just how much he really developed over the offseason and under King James’ tutelage. During the brief time we did get to see Lonzo this season, he looked much more composed on the court offensively while turning into an absolute pest defensively. With long limbs, good size, and excellent lateral quickness, Ball has developed into one of the NBA’s premier perimeter defenders when healthy. While his scoring and assist numbers dropped, that was to be expected playing alongside James this season. Kuzma and Ingram both struggled with injuries as well this year yet had their bright spots. Kuzma was extremely reliable as a floor-spacing power forward
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