Lakers star LeBron James will make his season opener tonight against the Jazz

LeBron James will make his season opener on Tuesday when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity, after sciatica kept James out for the Lakers’ first 14 games.

James is “going in the right direction,” coach JJ Reddick said before Tuesday’s game, which will mark James’ NBA-record 23rd season. The 40-year-old missed the start of the season for the first time in his NBA career after starting to feel discomfort in his right side this summer.

James missed all of training camp and preseason. The Lakers put together a 10-4 record despite playing without their big star. In his place, Luka Donic emerged as the NBA’s leading scorer and guard Austin Reaves went on to have a career season.

The star trio played together for a few months last year after Donic joined the Lakers in a blockbuster trade, helping the team clinch the third seed in the Western Conference. Redick hopes that experience will help James integrate more easily this year.

“He’s smart enough and [there’s] “Enough of the transition from last year, with the personnel and our schemes, that I think it’s going to be easy for him to fit in right away,” Redick said.

James said after Monday’s practice that he was still not pain-free, but that he was able to manage the nerve injury to progress through practices with the G League team, the full NBA team and then Tuesday’s shootaround. James said dealing with sciatica came with unexpected challenges. He can often only hope that he will not feel pain when he wakes up in the morning or when he goes to sleep.

Redick said the team and James are approaching “uncharted territory” when it comes to managing the superstar’s health. The conversation has been steady and will continue as the season progresses.

“We’re going to find ways to rest him when he needs to rest,” Reddick said.

Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.