Lakers' LeBron James set to take big step in returning to court

LeBron James has missed the first eight games of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ season and will miss at least a few more, but he’s preparing for the next step in his journey to getting back on the court, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania.

“LeBron James has been working out individually, and I’ve been told that the next step for him is five-on-five live play,” Charania explained.

Charania adds that James will not be traveling with the team on its five-game road trip that starts in Atlanta this weekend, following Wednesday night’s game against the Spurs. 

It’s not certain if that live action would occur with the team’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, who will be practicing in El Segundo, California, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, or if James will rejoin the team once it returns from the road trip on Nov. 15.

When is the earliest LeBron James could make his season debut?

ESPN’s Malika Andrews notes in the conversation with Charania that this would indicate that the earliest James would return is Nov. 18 against the Jazz.