The Los Angeles Clippers lost their third straight game when they fell at home, 103-87, to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. 

However, despite now sitting at 1-3, star point guard Darius Garland is not panicking. 

"It's our [fourth] game," he said. "A lot of guys are out. [We're] just trying to figure everything out with these guys. It's a learning curve." 

Some grace is certainly owed to the injury-stricken Clippers, who have been given a daunting schedule to start the campaign. 

After their emphatic 121-96 season-opening win against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 21, they have faced the Lakers twice and the Oklahoma City Thunder once. There is not a whole lot of room for error for a young, rebuilding team in fixtures of that magnitude. 

Yet the Clippers have shown positive signs and could still become a more competitive team than most expect when they get everybody back. 

"Everybody is new," Garland added. "It's my first full year. [Keaton Wagler] is playing a lot of minutes; he's a rookie. He's the other head of the snake as well. We have to take care of the ball and try to help our other teammates out." 

Brandon Ingram figures to be the Clippers' best scorer when he recovers from a partial Achilles tear. Thus far, the scoring burden has been on Garland, who is averaging 21.5 points per game despite being a pass-first playmaker. His game should benefit greatly from Ingram's return. 

The No. 5 overall pick in this year's Draft, Wagler, poured in a career-high 21 points against the Lakers and is averaging 15 points in his first five games. His eventual starting backcourt connection with Garland is an exciting prospect for the Clippers' future. 

All things considered, including the bizarre circumstances around Kawhi Leonard's exit this offseason, this is going to be largely a rebuilding year for the Clippers, though they are hell-bent on continuing to compete. 

As athletes, that competitive spirit is to be expected. Nobody ever wants to lose. However, regrouping and reassessing is often needed in situations like this. 

The latest loss to the Lakers, while not pleasant, is something head coach Ty Lue's Clippers should look to learn from rather than dwell on. 

The Clippers lost the battle on the glass and gave up 31 points off 24 turnovers. They were also outscored on the fast break and in the paint. All of those things are fixable, and the fact that their other losses to the Lakers and the Thunder were by eight and seven points, respectively, bodes well for the Clippers being a fringe play-in team later in the year. 

Cleaning things up starts with Garland, a veteran leader despite being only 26. A multi-time All-Star averaging 5.8 turnovers per game is not a recipe for success, and he knows that. 

The five giveaways against the Lakers offset his five assists. He added 14 points on 4-for-12 shooting. 

Wagler, albeit very early in his career, must sharpen up his efficiency, shooting 31.6 percent from the field this year. He went 4-for-15 (3-for-8 3PT) on Wednesday—10-for-12 at the free-throw line. 

The Clippers, as a team, shot just 35 percent from the field and 32 percent from three against the Lakers. 

Wagler's 39.1 percent three-point shooting as a rookie, however, is a welcome bonus at this juncture, as are his rebounding and playmaking skills.