Los Angeles Lakers improved for 2019-20, but are they a title contender?

Best-case scenario

LeBron James is one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and the last time we saw him on a team that mattered he carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2018. If he comes out of the gate ready to go this team could take advantage of a soft early schedule and get out in front of the field in the Western Conference.

Anthony Davis can help this team by embracing center, freeing up minutes for Kyle Kuzma and Jared Dudley and minimizing the minutes the team plays Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee. If Talen Horton-Tucker is able to contribute as a rookie, or Alex Caruso takes a step forward, this team will be able to put a strong starting lineup on the court.

Any team with LeBron James can win in the postseason, and few teams have a defender ready to slow him down. The James-Davis pick-and-roll will be incredible, with Davis a threat to pop or roll, to stretch defenses horizontally and vertically. The best version of this Lakers team is one that slams into opponents in the postseason and is simply bigger and stronger than them.

This Lakers team could win 60 games and bring home the title, the fourth for James and the 16th for the franchise. That would be a tremendous accomplishment for these players, as well as a front office that was often doubted over the past few years.

Best-case: 62-20, NBA Championship

Worst-case scenario

Nothing is guaranteed in the NBA, but especially not for these Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis and LeBron James have both missed large portions of time with injury over the past few seasons. Dwight Howard is no lock to be available for any amount of time. Kyle Kuzma is injured to start training camp.

This team has serious problems defending opposing backcourts. Danny Green is very capable, but he can only guard one player. When the Lakers play a healthy Golden State Warriors team, who guards Klay Thompson? Or D’Angelo Russell for that matter? Portland, Utah and Houston all have strong guard pairings.

At the other end, is Davis willing to go toe-to-toe with Nikola Jokic if the Lakers face the Denver Nuggets?

Mild injuries, poor chemistry and mismanaged rotations are all realistic ailments for this team to face early in the season and when the chips are down. They could stumble to a lower seed, forcing them to play on the road against a formidable opponent in round one.

A first-round matchup against the LA Clippers could spell their doom as they make an early exit, never taken seriously as a title contender.

Worst-case: 45-37, first-round loss