That is the verdict of Richard Jefferson.
LeBron signed with the Lakers in the offseason with the view to helping LA’s roster of high-ceiling young talents reach their potential.
The Lakers were a losing team before the four-time MVP but are currently 18-13 and likely to end their five-year playoff drought this year.
But with the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz among the teams failing to reach expectations in the Western Conference, there is an opportunity for the Lakers to make a real push for the Conference Finals.
That has led to suggestions that the Lakers should abandon their long-term thinking and sacrifice some of their prospects to bring in more shooters by trades to strengthen LA’s immediate chances.
Several suggested that the Lakers should give up some of their young core – such as Brandon Ingram – to make a deal for Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards given LeBron has won championships in the past when paired with elite shooters.
But Jefferson insists that LeBron is still committed to the long-term plans of the franchise.
Asked if he was asked for advice by Luke Walton, Jefferson said: “Yeah. We see each other a ton, we don’t live far from one another.
“But it was never like, ‘Hey, how do you coach Bron?’ It was more about understanding him as a person and as a player.
“But you know, Bron was who he’s always been. He was there months early, working out, training, getting guys together, playing pick-up.
“You’re able as a coach to kind of sit back and watch him without actually coaching.
“In the pre-season and pick-up games, you can coach him but you can see. For him, it’s still more about coaching these young guys.
“It’s more about coaching [Kyle] Kuzma and Ingram and [Josh] Hart and Lonzo Ball, that’s where he’s got to work and help coach these guys to get to a higher level to more meet Bron.
“That’s not saying these guys won’t be there but it’s tough to do that in your first, second, third year to have the best player in the world, an extreme competitor, having to understand that mistakes in the first quarter mean almost as much as they do in the fourth and third.
“His focus is still getting the young players better.”
The Lakers are 18-13 and fourth in the Western Conference and face the 15-17 New Orleans Pelicans at Staples Center on Friday, 7.30pm PST (Saturday, 3.30am UK time).