HAVING BALL MAY BOOST LAKERS

Guard is no sure thing, but team could be poised for big things in ’18 offseason

It was tough enough when the Los Angeles Lakers had to play catch-up with the rest of the NBA.

But now there’s a turf war in Los Angeles again, what with all these rumblings that the great LeBron James might be headed for Tinseltown in the summer of 2018. And the Lakers and Clippers are doing all they can to get their hoops houses in order before that time comes.

Whether it’s James, Paul George or any of the other bigname stars who might be able to take each team to the next level, the last thing you want is to have one of those movie sets where it’s all a facade once you get past the front door. Now is the time to build something real.

So Lakers owner Jeanie Buss added Magic Johnson to run basketball operations and serve as chief recruiter to the stars, then partnered him with the longtime agent of Kobe Bryant, Rob Pelinka, as general manager.

The Clippers, too, bolstered their front office, promoting Lawrence Frank to work with coach-president of basketball operations Doc Rivers. For good measure, they added Lakers legend Jerry West as a consultant.

But it’s the once-mighty Lakers who spent these last few seasons getting lapped and who have so much work to do if there’s any hope of a return to prominence in 12 short months. To that end, with the harsh reality facing them that there was a 41-win gap between their win total and that of the champion Golden State Warriors last season, they did all they could in Thursday night’s draft.

Lonzo Ball shouldn’t be seen as some sort of Lakers savior, no more so than past Lakers picks Julius Randle, recently traded D’Angelo Russell or incumbent Brandon Ingram were ever worthy of playing that role. But the UCLA product, taken No. 2 overall by the Lakers, is the kind of building block that sustains their momentum, a point guard who has all the potential in the world to be nothing short of special.

Never mind the comparisons to Magic. Just focus on the passfirst mentality, the well-known ability to elevate teammates and the up-tempo style that Bruins fans loved and which will surely delight Lakers fans. Not to mention the grounded personality that is so different from his boisterous father, LaVar, who sparked the deafening buzz around his oldest son for so many months.

“I told you, from the words of Zeus, Jesus, everybody said he’s going to be a Laker,” LaVar boomed in an interview with ESPN before the picks started rolling in, with Lonzo laughing as he listened nearby. “They told me before they told y’all.”

But the theatrics overshadowed the reality of the situation, that Lonzo is yet another immensely talented prospect who will have to work to make the most of a promising situation. He is a wise choice, a prudent pick, and it’s up to second-year Lakers coach Luke Walton and his staff to let the measured molding begin. This is the kind of decision that has been lacking in Laker Land for quite some time.

The Lakers’ huge challenge was front and center for all to see this week, when Johnson and Pelinka used underwhelming Russell as a means to a financial end. They traded the 21-year-old guard and center Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for center Brook Lopez and the 27th pick. Mozgov and his nonsensical contract were a monumental obstacle to the Lakers’ grand plans, as he was given a four-year, $64 million deal last summer that spoke to the heart of the Lakers and how far they had fallen.

As ousted Lakers executive Jim Buss used to say, 2016 was supposed to be the summer Kevin Durant came their way. Instead, the salary cap room needed for the stars went to a player who you hardly knew was there.

But there’s light at the end of that purple-and-gold tunnel. The stars who could come their way are watching closely, from James to George to DeMarcus Cousins and the rest. There’s a plan, and Ball’s arrival is the latest part of it.

The Lakers, little by little, are gaining ground.