To officially begin President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka's first full season together, the Los Angeles Lakers are confident Lonzo Ball can lead them back to championship contention. After a near triple-double performance at the Las Vegas Summer League, there is plenty of excitement for the city.

With training camp in progress, head coach Luke Walton was asked about his new point guard according to Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints:

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With Ball having a pass-first mentality, he embodies the unselfishness Walton wants the Lakers to play with in his second season as head coach. As Ball focuses on promoting ball movement, it will inspire his teammates to do the same and it should help on both ends of the court.

Heading into the 2017-18 NBA season, Ball and his teammates believe they can make the playoffs. While numerous All-Stars have joined the Western Conference, just being competitive in the first full season under the new front office will create new opportunities for the storied franchise. If Ball and company can show they are a couple players from contention, it is no secret the Lakers are creating the necessary cap space to sign two max contract players in 2018 free agency.