Magic Johnson Welcomes Lonzo Ball to Lakers Nation on Twitter After Selection

The greatest point guard in Los Angeles Lakers history welcomed the newest lead guard Thursday after the franchise selected Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick:

Magic Johnson—the team's president of basketball operations—picked UCLA's Ball after the Philadelphia 76ers started the draft by taking Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick.

There was an opening in Los Angeles' backcourt after it traded D'Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

Ball figures to step right in alongside Jordan Clarkson and look to lead the Lakers back to prominence in the upcoming years. While Ball made plenty of news leading up to the draft because of his father LaVar's outlandish statements, there is little question about his talent after he averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in his one collegiate season.

He also shot a blistering 55.1 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three-point range with the Bruins.

While there is plenty of excitement about Ball among Lakers fans, there is reason to believe he will be surrounded by immense talent in the not so distant future.

Wojnarowski previously reported Paul George told the Indiana Pacers he plans to become a free agent in 2018 and would like to join the Lakers. What's more, Wojnarowski said the Russell trade was done in part to clear space for George and LeBron James when the latter is expected to be a free agent in 2018 as well.

For now, Ball represents the immediate future of Johnson's tenure as the president of basketball operations, but the Lakers great would love to welcome some more superstars in the coming seasons.