New York Knicks center Marcus Camby will return on Christmas Day, when the Knicks take on Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers, according to NBC Sports' Pro Basketball Talk.

Camby missed New York's last 14 games because of plantar fascitis in his left foot.

Camby has only appeared in six games for the Knicks so far this season, and has not started in any of them. In those six games, Camby has averaged just 7.7 minutes per contest.

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson told reporters that the Knicks will need Camby when they take on the Lakers -- and that the 6'11" center will indeed play.

"We're going to put him in there," Woodson said. "We're going to need him based on the bigs that they have up front, so he will play."

It's unknown how much playing time Camby will receive on Christmas day. Still, with Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol both taking the court for Los Angeles, Woodson and the Knicks might need to rely on Camby more than they have at any point this season.

This story originally appeared on SBNation.com.