LeBron James' injury: A blessing in disguise for the Lakers?

Father time stays undefeated and the supposedly immune LeBron James is the latest victim. LeBron, in his 15th year during a successful NBA career, has never undergone a serious injury or surgery.

On Christmas Day during the Lakers' win over Golden State Warriors, he sustained a groin injury and left the game in the third quarter after overstretching to recover a loose ball against Draymond Green.

Playing in his 156th straight game - including Playoff matches - it had been more than 600 days since he'd missed a match. Since then, he has been reported day-to-day and is likely to miss somewhere between five and ten games. With The King not in the spotlight, the young core of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball now have an extended opportunity to shine.

The Lakers faced the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers after Christmas Day - they upped their game in the absence of their leader. Lonzo Ball had 20/9/12 against the Kings, 19/5/6 against the Clippers. Kuzma put up 33 and 24 points in those two games respectively.

The pair have continued to excel in LeBron's absence on court

Ingram and Hart both had decent games too. Despite losing both games, what's impressive is that the youngsters refused to shy away from embracing the attention and showcased their talent.

Why the short-term success points to a greater goal

The environment within any team with LeBron involved has always been LeBron-driven. All the news reporters and media coverage focus more on him than other players and it's just how it is when you play with one of the best players of all-time.

With him currently sidelined short-term, it presents an opportunity for the younger players to really find their own identity. Not only that, it's great for the Lakers for their team. If the young players continue to ball out and keep posting productive numbers, the trade package for Anthony Davis looks more attractive with these bunch of guys involved.

As the Boston Celtics are preparing a trade package of their own, the Lakers have a better shot to land Davis because their young players appear more attractive for the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire.

Injuries are unfortunate for any team but small not-so-serious injuries can really benefit an organisation in the most unexpected ways.