NBA: With LeBron James, it’s ‘Showtime’ once more but it’s not yet the Lakers' ‘time’ though

Arguably the best free-agent signing the franchise has ever had, the acquisition of LeBron James easily turns the struggling Los Angeles Lakers into a playoff team. Now, that the King wears the purple and gold, for the second most successful NBA franchise, the sky is the limit.

But in reality, the Lakers have just taken a huge step in their rebuilding mode in comparison to their uncharacteristic last five consecutive losing seasons, and after acquiring the best player on the planet, the front office is in the process of making moves to clear their salary cap in preparation for another gigantic acquisition in the summer of 2019.

At the back of Magic Johnson’s mind, beating the Golden State Warriors is not yet feasible at least for this season. He can start thinking of their chances probably after another blockbuster signing next summer. And unless that will involve Kevin Durant leaving Golden State as a free-agent to join LeBron, the odds of them dethroning the champs remain practically the same.

With the star-studded Warriors adding another bona fide superstar in the DeMarcus Cousins, in their fold, the field becomes more uneven, leaving all other franchises in the West including the Lakers, hoping to avoid early playoff collision with the two-time defending champions to determine their best finish this season.

DeMarcus Cousins (Image Credits - The San Francisco Examiner)

There is no way for any team this season to beat a healthy Golden State Warriors in a playoff series, especially in the finals, so if any team has to snatch the Larry O’Brien trophy from Curry and company, it has to hope that one or two of its key pieces go down with a season-ending injury or its equivalent.

One of the keys for the Lakers to overachieve this season is Lonzo Ball. Showing tremendous potential in his rookie year, specifically in playmaking, Lonzo could ease the burden on LeBron’s shoulders and place him more often on the receiving end of his crisp passes. Laker fans definitely cannot wait to see how the duo can orchestrate the latest version of “Showtime”. Playmaking would not be a problem as playoff Rondo is in the house to give the team steadier ball handling and distribution.

Another potential beneficiary of Lonzo and LeBron’s lob passes is JaVale McGee. Often left by the defense to help on the main guys namely Stephen Curry, KD, and Klay Thompson when he was with the Warriors, McGee has caught the limelight once more with those alley-oop dunks and his hustle. These are things he will surely bring to the table with the Lakers and their head coach Luke Walton, who knows a thing or two about the Warriors.

2018 NBA Summer League - Las Vegas - Detroit Pistons v Los Angeles Lakers — After leaving his former coach, LeBron is expected to leave no stone unturned to lift the fortunes of t

Luke Walton, who actually led the 2016-2017 Warriors to the best ever start in the NBA, can now utilize a system he learned from Steve Kerr to the fullest, with LeBron being the fulcrum of a well-oiled unselfish basketball machine. And with the defense focusing most of the time on James, the likes of Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram can flourish and be better versions of themselves offensively.

Furthermore, an intriguing player who can add dimension to their line-up is Lance Stephenson. The former Indiana Pacers' presence alone can distract the opponents with his antics, the same things he used to bug LeBron with, back when they faced off in the East. He may not be blowing in his ear's anymore, but he can definitely be an added factor for the Lakers in blowing out most of their opponents.

The Laker team this year may have become much better than the Cleveland Cavaliers that won the East last season, but it definitely doesn’t equate to a ninth consecutive Finals appearance for LeBron James. However, if they are able to push their luck any farther, a fifth straight post-season match-up against Stephen Curry is still probable for the King.