Lakers' LeBron James To Play vs. Hornets After Missing All-Star Game with Foot Injury

LeBron James will play for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Charlotte Hornets in the team's first game after the All-Star Break, per reporter Mike Trudell.

James' status had been in doubt, but ESPN's Shams Charania reported the team believed he could play either against the Hornets on Wednesday or the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday as he continues to recover from ongoing discomfort in his foot and ankle.

"I'm told James will be reevaluated later today and there is optimism he could be able to play in at least one of the next two games," Charania reported on Tuesday's NBA Today.

He added that the Lakers were weighing the need to continue building chemistry between James and Luka Dončić against the ability to get LeBron a total of nine rest days by sitting him against a pair of teams with losing records, the type of rest that would be valuable for the 40-year-old's body.

The injury already caused James to miss the All-Star Game, the first time in his career he didn't participate.

"I was hoping it would feel a lot better this morning, but it was not where I wanted it to be," he told reporters at the time regarding his ankle.

"With 30 games left and us trying to make a playoff push in the wild, wild West, I felt like it was very important for me to kind of take care of myself and understand what's coming on [down the stretch]," he added.

James and Dončić will need time to develop synergy given their overlapping skill sets as primary facilitators who are accustomed to having the offense run through them. While neither is traditionally listed as a point guard and often plays beside someone in that role, both generally serve as the catalyst for their team's offense.

Dončić is a good enough shooter that he can adjust to playing off the ball at times, and he's already coexisted well with Kyrie Irving. And James operating as a cutter when Luka runs the offense should give defenses pause.

It will be a work in process, but the Lakers still have time to iron out those kinks. Ultimately, James' long-term health is a bigger priority, but he will at least be able to help the team out against the Hornets.