Lakers: LeBron James 'probable' to play Tuesday vs. Spurs

While he was able to return to action, James did acknowledge after the game that he would likely need “around-the-clock” treatment the next day.

So what’s James’ status heading into Tuesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs? According to the most recent update from the team, he is "probable" to play.

This is obviously great news for L.A., with memories of last year’s failures still fresh in everyone’s minds. Back in March during a matchup versus the Atlanta Hawks, Solomon Hill crashed into James (in an arguably dirty play) and forced him out of the next 20 games. When he did ultimately return in time for the playoffs, he was clearly limited to some degree.

“The first thing I was thinking to myself was, ‘Not again,’” James said. “Because, obviously, it was almost similar but not the same kind of play. Guy falls into my leg and there’s nothing you can do about it and I couldn’t get my leg out of there in time.”

Fortunately, it looks like that won’t be the case with this injury. One of the reasons James worked so hard on his offseason body transformation is also to be able to withstand potential injuries better.

Clearly, up to this point at least, his efforts are paying dividends.

Hopefully James can stay healthy this year, because the Lakers will only go as far as he can take them. How far will that ultimately be? Time will tell.