Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is hoping point guard Rajon Rondo can make his debut on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Rondo has missed the Lakers' first nine games of the season, but his team hasn't skipped a beat, still able to top the Western Conference standings. However LeBron James has had the bulk of the point guard responsibilities through this early stretch of the season, and Rondo's experience and veteran know-how could come in handy for a team hoping to wind up as one of the top seeds in a battle-tested West.

The 6-foot-1 point guard went through some 5-on-5 work on Monday and was listed as questionable for Tuesday's outing against a much-improved Suns team.

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Rondo said that his calf injury initially began with Achilles soreness, so the Lakers' medical staff has been very careful bringing him back, considering what happened to Kevin Durant in the NBA Finals. Durant sat out for a month with what the Golden State Warriors once deemed as a “mild calf strain” and given the parallels with Rondo's injury, the Lakers are playing it cautiously, hoping it pays off.

This helps explain why Rondo's calf strain has caused him to miss over a month, but he should be back soon regardless. Wednesday's game against the Golden State Warriors could also be another option as the back end of a back-to-back.