Coach Luke Walton noticed something different about LeBron James during Monday’s Media Day.

The Lakers’ new superstar was locked into business mode, and that carried over to Tuesday’s first day of training camp.

“The way he’s approaching has changed from the pick-up we were playing in the summer,” Walton said. “He was very serious, not talking a lot. He was the same way this morning. It definitely helped set the tone. We’re on a journey that started today.”

It’s also the start of the 16th season in a much larger journey for James. He has been to eight straight NBA Finals, but he understands that his new setting calls for more patience.

Thirteen of the 19 players on L.A.’s camp roster have fewer than three years of NBA experience. Five of the remaining six are in their first year with the Lakers.

“I'm not a very patient guy, but I understand that I have to be patient right now,” James said. “I’ve got to be patient with myself, too, because it’s a new start for me. It’s my first year here, my first year in a new system. I know how to play the game of basketball but this is all new to me, too.”

@KingJames shares this thoughts after his first practice as a Laker. pic.twitter.com/x2SavrkegS — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 25, 2018

Part of that patience includes figuring out how to maximize the Lakers’ bevy of ball handlers.

James, Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball are all elite playmakers. Brandon Ingram, Lance Stephenson and others are capable of handling as well.

But LeBron is confident that his experience — including playing alongside ball-dominant guards like Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving — will augment his ability to play off the ball and at the Lakers’ high pace.

“I’m going to play the way I’ve always played, and obviously that’s always been team-first,” James said. “I know I’ve had to handle the ball a lot the last couple year.

“… We’ve got guys that can handle the ball, so much so that I can always get out to my spot and get out on the floor and run, which I love to do a lot anyway. Especially in my Miami days, I did that a lot.”

Those Miami days included several playoff battles against Rondo, who is also in his first season with the Lakers.

While Rondo is one of the NBA’s fiercest competitors, he has no problem with James being this team’s unquestioned leader.

“I mean, it’s LeBron,” Rondo said. “You speak his name — one name speaks for itself. He’s been a leader and a mentor in this league for a long time, on and off the court. … He embraces all the pressure he’s ever dealt with in his career, and he’s always risen above the occasion.”

Rondo — whose 12 years of experience is second to only James’ 15 on this roster — can also relate to LeBron’s challenge to maintain a longterm view of certain situations.

“I’m not a patient guy either, but a couple weeks back I went to church and the focus was patience, so I’m working on it Rondo said. “It’s something I always continue to work on. Some people say that’s why Magic [Johnson] didn’t really like coaching, because guys didn’t catch up as quickly as he wanted to. You get bored with the process.

“But it’s just part of the game. Everyone’s not going to catch up to speed as you are. My job for me as a leader is to understand how to get those guys, how they’re wired, how they’re triggered and how they can learn.”

Rondo did add that he his patience has increased since becoming a father, and LeBron can certainly relate.

“I guess I’ve got to bring in the approach I get from home,” James said. “When you have three kids you have to be patient.”