Much has been made of the Los Angeles Lakers swoon that has LeBron James on track to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2005. When looking to blame the players on the court, much of the ire has been directed at the team's young core players — Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, none of whom have more than three years of NBA experience. After James suffered a groin injury on Christmas, the Lakers became very much dependent on those young players — and the results have looked much like what should be expected from a team without veteran leadership on the court.