The Los Angeles Lakers officially signed Rajon Rondo to a one-year deal on Saturday and are hoping he provides competition to Lonzo Ball for the starting point guard spot.

With Ball missing 30 games last season due to injuries, the Lakers wanted another reliable playmaker to join the team and Rondo perfectly fits the bill.

The franchise also hopes that the presence of the veteran will help Lonzo in his development.

Speaking for the first time as a Laker, the 32-year-old said he's excited to mentor his young teammate next season.

"From what I've seen, I'm excited to get a player that age and try to help him as much as I can, as far as understanding the game and getting his game up to speed as far as at a high level," Rondo said, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.

"Especially with the amount of pressure now that the organisation has on him Every night we're going to get guys [the] best shots, and as far as understanding that night in and night out, that's what separates the good players from the great players."

Experience

The guard has already been impressed by what the UCLA product has done so far and says his basketball IQ is "one of the best I've ever seen" for a player his age.

But with an NBA championship and four All-Star appearances under his belt in a 12-year career, he still has a lot of experience to pass on that would benefit Ball.

Rondo is coming off a solid season where he averaged 8.3 points and 8.2 assists per game in the regular season and performed even better in the playoffs with 10.3 points and 12.2 assists per game with the New Orleans Pelicans.

His arrival has raised question marks about who will be starting but Rondo is not concerned with that and is only focused on helping the team win in any way he can.

"They have me here to help win games, any way possible, whatever situation I might be in. That will be a big part of why we're trying to get this thing done this year," Rondo said.

"They have plans, obviously me being here, along with other guys they've [brought] in, along with this great young core that we have.

"So I'm not so much caught up in the starting [job] and things like that. I'm just caught up in winning the championship."

The former Boston Celtics man, who signed a one-year, $9 million deal, has big hopes for the upcoming campaign after the Lakers secured the services of LeBron James.

He expects to compete for a championship and that mentality is why the purple and gold were so keen to bring him on board.

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