With LeBron James now on board, the expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers will immediately be raised.

They have now missed out on the playoffs for five consecutive seasons - the longest drought in franchise history.

The minimum requirement for the team will be to end that postseason streak and that should be achievable with the best player in the world now in their lineup.

James wasted no time making his eagerly anticipated free agency decision as he agreed a four-year, $154 million deal with the Lakers on the day he officially hit the open market.

Relying on youth

The purple and gold still have a relatively young roster with the likes of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma in their ranks but the pressure will now be on them to perform.

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant believes this will be the best thing for their development as players and says the arrival of LeBron will make the team's dreams "substantially bigger".

"With LeBron on this roster, I don't think it will be much of an issue to make the playoffs," Bryant said, per ESPN. "The dreams are substantially bigger now.

"LeBron accelerates the learning curve for these young guys and they will be able to learn a lot faster because they will get a chance to watch him work every single day, how he comes to practice, how he takes care of his body and how he handles his nutrition.

"They will be able to learn really, really quickly. This is really going to help Lonzo's and Kyle's growth and the rest of the guys.

"... For us to have a player like LeBron here, it just creates so much energy [for the city of Los Angeles and the NBA].

"Players like Lonzo and Kyle and others now have that really good pressure to push them forward sooner rather than later. I can't wait to see them respond to it."

Los Angeles has been in a rebuilding phase for several years but now fans will expect them to win.

But that will not be easy in an ultra-competitive Western Conference.

LBJ has spent his entire 15-year career in the east and has made the move at a time when even making the playoffs is hugely difficult.

The King's presence will improve their chances of achieving that but if they go into the season with the roster they have now, it'll be extremely tough.

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