When LeBron James went down with a groin injury, it was supposed to be a chance for young Lakers like Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram to show how valuable they were, and that while James will almost always be the driving force between any success his teams have, that the Lakers aren’t totally bereft of talent beyond him.
The Lakers’ first 10 games without James have... not made that case. The team is 3-7 over that stretch, and while there were points where it appeared that Ball and Ingram were starting to figure things out, the team’s overall record hasn’t reflected that.