Veteran guard Marcus Smart is now officially a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. On Tuesday, he signed a contract that will reportedly pay him $11 million over two seasons, and he was introduced to the media during a press conference to announce his addition to the team’s roster.

Smart, 31, brings tenacious, versatile defense, secondary playmaking and overall resourcefulness to a Lakers team that has lacked perimeter defense and impactful role players for some time.

Luka Doncic reportedly helped recruit Smart, and on Tuesday, the guard talked about how much he appreciated Doncic telling him that he should come to Los Angeles.

“When you get a guy like Luka calling… checking on you, trying to see where you’re at, to see if you want to come join something special that he’s trying to cook up over here,” Smart said. “For him to say that he can really use my help, that meant a lot.”

Smart added that he never really had a relationship with Doncic in the past, but that they had mutual respect for one another when they played against each other.

Now Smart will look to elevate a Lakers squad that went 50-32 and finished third in the Western Conference but lost in the first round of the playoffs this past season to the next level.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Marcus Smart says Luka Doncic’s recruiting efforts ‘meant a lot’