Hornets’ James Bouknight received good news. Can he break into Charlotte’s rotation?

It’s about to be all systems go for James Bouknight.

The Charlotte Hornets guard has been cleared to return to basketball activities, the team announced. Bouknight received a clean bill of health during his follow-up exam on Thursday, exactly four weeks removed from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Bouknight will still have to get his conditioning right and ramp up himself into game-shape after missing the better part of the last month, but getting back on the court officially for the first time since injuring himself in a training camp session on Oct. 5 represents a significant step.

Doing individual work, as he has during the past few weeks, is one thing. Stepping into the practice atmosphere is another.

“Hopefully, he’s a lot, lot closer,” coach Steve Clifford said Thursday, before the Hornets flew to Washington to play the Wizards in the first game of the NBA’s in-season tournament. “And we’ll just see if he progresses in these next few days.”

With Bouknight getting healthier, what many inquiring minds want to know: can he crack Clifford’s rotation? The past few games, particularly with Terry Rozier being injured, Clifford has turned to veteran Ish Smith along with Théo Maledon as the Hornets’ backcourt reserves. Particularly to help break up LaMelo Ball’s minutes.

Bouknight hasn’t cracked the lineup consistently in his two previous seasons, averaging just 5.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and an assist in 12.6 minutes per game. But given the Hornets’ penchant for piling up freakish injuries, he will likely hear his name called at some point, and it’s going to be on him to stay ready and be effective so he can show and prove the work he’s been doing will make him more productive.

From all indications, Bouknight’s attitude throughout the ups and downs has remained positive. If he’s disappointed about not having his fourth-year option picked up, he’s done a pretty good job of masking any frustration.

Bouknight has seemingly still been his jovial self, smiling as he hoists jump shots after practices and shootarounds alongside Ball, Rozier and Miles Bridges. The 23-year-old, who has played in just 69 games in two seasons, is readying to clear this latest hurdle.

“There’s no one way that you get to where you want to get to in this league,” Clifford said. “So, there’s guys that start, and it’s easy sailing. But not many. There’s others that are in the G League, which he was. They go to Europe. There’s no one way to do it. But the biggest part for him in the last two years has been the injuries, to be honest with you.

“He didn’t have a summer because of his hand (injury). That kind of set him back last year where he was way behind going into the season. Then he got hurt with obviously this injury now, So that stuff is out of his control. He knows this. He just has to control what he can control and you’ve got to think big picture when you have injuries.”