LeBron’s latest message about the Lakers should strike fear into the rest of the NBA

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA at the moment, having won six of their last seven games.

They beat the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night by a score of 131-99, and after the game, James spoke about the fact that the Lakers haven’t been fully healthy yet this season.

“We don’t know what we have just yet,” James said. “We haven’t been whole yet. We have not been whole yet, not one time this season yet. So, we don’t know exactly what we have, but guys are in the uniform — they’re gonna come out, and they’re gonna try to execute the game plan offensively and defensively as close to 48 minutes as possible. And we trust everybody that steps on the floor.”

The Lakers, who are now 9-6 on the season, have dealt with injuries to a multitude of players so far this season. Jarred Vanderbilt has yet to play in a regular season contest due to a heel injury, while Gabe Vincent has been out since late October with a knee injury.

First-round rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino missed the first 13 games of the regular season with a knee injury of his own, but he’s been available for the team’s last two games. However, he has yet to see a minute of playing time.

James and star big man Anthony Davis have each missed one game, but they have both consistently been on the Lakers’ injury reports throughout the early stages of the campaign.

Offseason acquisition Cam Reddish has appeared in all 15 games so far and has done pretty well, but he left Tuesday’s game against the Jazz with a groin injury. The Duke University product is set to undergo further evaluation on Wednesday morning.

James is currently playing 33.6 minutes per night for L.A., the second-highest average on the roster. According to a recent report, the plan is still to limit his minutes once the team is fully healthy.

The four-time champion only played 24 minutes on Tuesday night, which is key considering the Lakers are scheduled to host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

Any rest James can get at this point in the season is important, as he and the team are certainly hoping that he can be as fresh as possible for a postseason run.

Los Angeles made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season after a midseason shake-up and is hoping to make it even further this season.

Rumors have started to fly around, with the team linked to Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine recently. However, it appears as though the Lakers are focused on internal improvement.

After Wednesday’s game, the Lakers will embark on a four-game road trip.