The Los Angeles Lakers did not start the season all too well. The squad pitted for a championship struggled early, and still somewhat struggles. They are sitting at 21-19, which puts the Lakers in the fight for the postseason. After dreams of dominating the Western Conference, the Lakers need to settle for a possible path through the play-in tournament. Still, there are various reasons for optimism. LeBron James is absolutely dominating, with historic performances despite having his 37th birthday a couple of weeks back. Anthony Davis is still scheduled to return soon, and Kendrick Nunn will make his season debut in the next couple of weeks. To show there is still optimism, here are two reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers are still title contenders.

Lakers title contenders

LeBron James 

LeBron James is an absolutely indescribable athlete. The fact that he is having one of the best stretches of his illustrious career, playing center for a lowly Lakers team that relies fully on him, is just incredible. The 37-year-old forward had his share of criticism this year, mostly coming from Lakers fans who were unhappy with how the team was set up. Of course, James' reputation as a player that meddles in every part of running the franchise precedes him, so some of the choices were pinned on him. However, no one is criticizing him now.

Over the last ten games, LeBron James is averaging 34.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.9 steals, 1.6 blocks, shooting 55.3% from the field, and 37.8% from beyond the arc. These numbers are incredible and are more akin to someone who is at least 10 years younger than the King. Still, the Lakers went 5-5 over this period, so there are major questions on whether James can bring them over the line. However, he got five wins out of a depleted team, which looked lost without him on the field. If he can keep this up until the end of the season, the Lakers should be right there for the playoffs.

In the playoffs, the story is different, both for LeBron James and the Lakers. The Lakers can better prepare in the series setting, playing against just one team, where James can use his immense basketball IQ to put them in the best, winning situation possible. For himself personally, James turns it fully on in the postseason. Over his career, James' genius playoff runs, even if they did not end up in championships, earned him a lot of praise around the basketball world. There is no player on Earth that can put a team on his back as James can.

The game plan for the Lakers should be very simple – get in a winning position for the playoffs. At that point, they should be healthy and then the veteran squad should be thriving. James especially thrives in a playoff setting, simply because he can dissect specific holes he sees in the opponent's play. He can do it in the regular season as well, but it really shows in the playoffs, where they will face one team for an extended period of time. If the Lakers can just adjust James' workload or rest him for a bit, that would be even better, as these volumes of minutes could bite them when the postseason comes.

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Return of Anthony Davis 

It is somewhat sad to see the amount of vitriol that Anthony Davis receives sometimes. The former Pelicans forward is one of the best players on the planet, when healthy. The second part there is the problem, as he has issues remaining healthy. However, the Lakers still desperately need him and they should get him back soon. Paired up with LeBron, the Unibrow could bring back the championship to Los Angeles.

There has been major criticism sent Davis' way this season, and understandably so. He has been injured and when he is not injured, he has had a poor season. Still, the Lakers really need a second star and Russell Westbrook is not cutting it. The Lakers will need to put Davis in a position where he can slowly get back in, and due to the aforementioned stretch of LeBron James, they should have the wins to do so. He will be back in a few weeks so it is up to the Lakers on how to use him.

A possibility is to just let him play limited minutes in the first few games, getting him fully ready for the playoffs. The Lakers need to make sure he can be relied on, and while it is not fully up to the team, Davis is a professional and he will do his part without any problems. The veteran squad around the duo of James and Davis will also provide stability and guidance, two things that this team really needs.

Once again, it needs to be mentioned that the Lakers still have a ton of work ahead of them. However, the incredible play of James, the imminent return of Davis, and the positive atmosphere it might bring to the squad should all be factors that the Lakers rely on to reclaim their title contenders status.