Your 36-30 Los Angeles Lakers remain in the thick of the playoff hunt this season. Though they occupy the ninth seed in the Western Conference, they’re currently just four games behind the fifth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans. And 20-time All-Star small forward LeBron James is, once again, the head of the snake.

The 6’9″ vet, playing in his 21st NBA season, leads his team in scoring (25.3 points per on .530/.407/.742 shooting splits) and passing (eight assists), while ranking second in rebounds behind only fellow All-Star Anthony Davis (7.1 boards). The 39-year-old has been at it a long time. So long, in fact, that he was once teammates with former 1995 No. 1 draft pick Joe Smith while on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Smith spoke with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson about how James helps improve all his comrades through his versatile game.

“He makes everybody’s game easier!” Smith observed. “He draws so much attention out there on the floor with what he can do offensively that sometimes all eyes are on him. When he has the ball sometimes at the top of the key all the defense’s eyes are watching him trying to figure out what he’s going to do. Whenever he has the ball midrange or whenever you’re running the break with him, he’s so unselfish with the basketball that he’s going to make the correct play and the correct pass and you know it as a teammate so you’re gonna do whatever you can to get to the right spot. I grew up a Magic Johnson fan so kind of to answer the question between what you’re not asking [laughing], I grew up a Magic fan and he reminds me a lot of Magic with the way he plays and makes his teammates around him better. I just love watching him and he’s my favorite player to watch today. The way he plays and how he’s able to see the court and find guys whether it’s in transition or whether it’s out of a double team, it’s more Magic Johnson-like. And that’s something that I’ve always admired about him because I grew up a Magic fan. A lot of people used to give him hell because he used to pass out of the double teams and make the right basketball play, you know? But real basketball minds really admire when your best player draws the double team and has the confidence in you to knock down shots.” When Robinson pitched James as a combination of Scottie Pippen, Penny Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn, along with some Charles Barkley post play, Smith (a power forward who’s no stranger to the painted area himself), pounced on the idea. “Wow! I can see that,” Smith said. “He definitely has the strength of a Barkley down there on the blocks. Mashburn as well. People forget how crafty Mashburn was with that basketball whether it’s back to the basket or whether it’s his face up game, Jamal Mashburn was real crafty with that basketball and it enabled to create angles that he needed to get to the basket and finish, so yeah I can definitely see those combinations.”