To say that the Los Angeles Clippers have gotten off to a disappointing start would be an understatement. Projected to be a serious contender this season, the Clippers have gotten off to just a 4-8 start.

The talent is there for Los Angeles to be serious contenders with stars like Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, but the primary issue has been keeping their talent on the court. 

Leonard hasn't played since Nov. 3 and Bradley Beal, who was projected to be a major piece of the Clippers' offensive scheme, has been sidelined for the rest of the season with a hip injury. This leaves the Clippers scrambling as they search for ways to plug the gaps their superstars have left in the lineup. 

Head coach Ty Lue announced that he would be relying a lot more on young players like Kobe Sanders, Cam Christie and Jordan Miller going forward. Between those three, Jordan Miller has the most seniority going into his third NBA season and the move that Lue is leaning towards is a major reliance on youth while the veterans are either injured or unproductive.

A Lack of Faith in Clippers' Youth

Not every one is sold on Lue's strategy to put so much faith in these young players, though. 

"Teams don't start playing a bunch of young players all at once and think it's going to lead them to winning," a rival executive said (via ESPN). "But in this case maybe it will help them." 

Other unnamed members of rival organizations didn't hold back either, and some didn't mince their words when it came to the trajectory of the Clippers' season. 

"They are cooked," an East executive said to ESPN about the Clippers.

Los Angeles is certainly in a difficult spot so early in the season, but that still affords them plenty of time to adjust their course and salvage their season. 

What Remains of the Clippers' Bench

They aren't solely reliant on youth either. The Clippers still have players like Harden and Ivica Zubac as solid starters and role players like Chris Paul, Brook Lopez and Bogdan Bogdanovic and while those players have had relatively disappointing starts to the season, there is still star potential in the Los Angeles bench.

Still, the Clippers are in undeniably dire straights. They came into this season reliant on the Big Three of Leonard, Harden and Beal, and now they've found themselves deprived of two of them.

A major adjustment in either roster construction or mentality is needed to change the Clippers' season and the remainder of their roster needs to step up.

"Unless you can show me where the fountain of youth is, I don't see [a path back]," a West scout said. "Kawhi [Leonard] has looked good when he's played. But you can't rely on him."