When you sign a player of LeBron James' magnitude, making the playoffs seems like an inevitability. That might not be the case this season for the team in purple and gold.

With the NBA trade deadline passing, the playoffs start to become a heavy topic of conversation. The All-Star break comes next weekend before the final stretch of regular-season games commence.

Games start to become even tougher and teams amp up their play to another level. Players start paying attention to the standings more meticulously. For teams clawing for a playoff spot, resting players becomes less of an option.

LeBron, Luke Walton and the Los Angeles Lakers are currently on the outside looking in of the playoffs. The Lakers entered Sunday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers with a record of 28-27 — which places them as the 10th seed in the Western Conference. They are just two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for eighth seed, though.

The good news for Lakers fans is the Clippers just traded their best player in Tobias Harris. However, the Clippers are still gunning for the playoffs, and the ninth-seeded Sacramento Kings aren't going away.

Still, it's hard to envision a LeBron-led team not playing into late May. Here are three reasons why Lakers fans shouldn't fret when wondering if their team will make the postseason.

3. The Lakers are without Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Ball, Lakers, Suns
No matter what people's opinions are on Lonzo Ball, he is going to be key to the Lakers reaching the playoffs. Undoubtedly, he is one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA.

When you play in the Western Conference, the list of high-level guards is endless. You have Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden to name a few.

Thus, having Ball will be vital to trying to slow down those guards. With Rajon Rondo in place as the veteran point guard, the Lakers become even deeper when Ball is healthy.

Just the other night against the Boston Celtics, Rondo showed he can still be a key contributor for a playoff team. The Lakers were down double digits multiple times — only to have Rondo hit the game-winning shot to end the game.

Rondo brings toughness and a level of experience and intelligence. Ball is going to have to complement that with his athleticism and ability to create offense from his defense. He is also phenomenal at creating for his teammates.

When Ball returns from injury, the Lakers will be near full strength to hopefully make a postseason run.

2. The Lakers' young core is improving

When you hear people talk about the Lakers' young core, you would think that they were struggling mightily. That isn't the case as guys like Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram are having improved years from a scoring standpoint.

There are other teams who have young players who aren't playing nearly as good as the Lakers' young guys. But because it is the Lakers, people try to minimize the talent on the roster compared to others.

Kuzma and Ingram are both still getting accustomed to playing in an offense that goes through LeBron. The thing is, Kuzma fits the stretch-4 mold that has been used in offenses with LeBron.

If Ingram can consistently make his shots, he could be a perfect fit on the wing. Nevertheless, Ingram's length on defense is essential to this Lakers team.

Ball has been dealing with injuries, but his shooting is slightly improved and his defense is still elite. Josh Hart is struggling with his shot this season, but his scoring has gone up.

If the Lakers hope to get a playoff berth, they'll need their core of young players to step up when needed. Getting fully healthy — especially Ball — remains the focus.

1. It's LeBron James

When is the last time we sat down and watched playoffs that didn't contain LeBron James? The last time he wasn't in the playoffs, “The Incredibles” and “Mean Girls” were two of the biggest movies to hit the box office that year.

The last time he missed the postseason, he was 20 years old — in his second season. It has been a long, long time since we've seen him absent from playoffs. Seeing LeBron out of the playoffs is like seeing Bigfoot — I'll believe it when I see it.

This year will be one of the biggest tests of his career, though. He is expected to take a young Lakers team who lacks playoff experience to the promised land.

LeBron James

After seeing him take multiple underwhelming Cleveland Cavaliers teams to the playoffs, it's tough to see him fail. Furthermore, he has also come back from being down 3-1 in a series against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Watching that made me believe there is nothing that LeBron is incapable of doing. He delivered on his promise to Cleveland and ended their championship drought, and now he is trying to get the Lakers back to glory.

This season has been a roller-coaster ride for LeBron, from the trade rumors that involved Anthony Davis to the injury that held him out for 17 games. His injury showed that he is still human and that this Lakers team absolutely needs him to be on the court to have a chance to play in the postseason.

Fans of the NBA are doubting that the Lakers will make the playoffs, but be careful counting this team out prematurely. When it comes to LeBron, anything is possible — and he has shown that before.