LeBron James day-to-day, but Lakers face challenge sustaining success

We’re about to see what the Los Angeles Lakers are made of outside of LeBron James.

When Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James went down with a groin injury on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors, it seemed like the ending was inevitable.

Of course, the Warriors would take advantage of the opportunity and take down their Western Conference opponent, right?

Not so.

The Lakers ended up winning 127-101 behind an impressive performance by their supporting cast.

James has been notoriously healthy throughout his career, but a groin strain is nothing to sneeze at. He is now listed as day-to-day, which is good news because a tear would’ve taken him out for a devastating period of time.

It’s unclear how long the Lakers will keep him out, especially considering their weak schedule over the next couple weeks. Head coach Luke Walton appears to desire a delicate approach.

"“Obviously, we want him back soon as possible,” he said to Yahoo Sports, “but we also will be very cautious when we bring him back.”"

Walton and the Lakers are about to find out what their young players are made of. Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram are all going to get their chance to shine with LeBron out.

We all know that Rajon Rondo thrives in the playoffs or national TV games and he showed that against the Warriors on Christmas. But the Lakers are going to need more than him to be a true contender. That is where their youth comes in.

The Lakers have been rumored in many trade deals recently, and that might come into play here too. Anthony Davis is certainly a player that James has expressed interest in publicly.

The Lakers are only 2.5 games out of first place in the Western Conference, but they’re also in danger of missing the playoffs entirely. This next stretch will be crucial to their postseason hopes for sure, because LeBron probably doesn’t want to play the Warriors in the first round.