They made it to the WCF after a huge trade deadline team upgrade. Given that most of the core pieces of the team that beat the Warriors and the Grizzlies are back, why wouldn’t they be a contender? What teams got significant upgrades in the West to stand in their way that weren’t there the last time around? Plus given the injuries and new team, the Lakers spent the last 1/3 of the season figuring out their team chemistry, even to the point where the play-in game was one of the first where the Playoff lineup was even on the floor together. No meteors needed, just the Lakers to play consistently and stay healthy. LeBron and AD can manage their minutes because the new team can put up points without them, and that means good things at the end of the season. What the Lakers are missing is a good bruiser of a center who can take the physicality of Jokic and save AD from foul trouble. If they fill that gap, I don’t know if even the Nuggets have a team that can beat them.

They got to the WCF with a team that was thrown together at the deadline. They have also upgraded their roster in the draft and free agency. Combine that with a training camp together and this team is absolutely a title contender.