Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James continues to move closer to making his season debut in his record 23rd NBA season.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, James has been reassigned to the Lakers after spending a stint with the South Bay Lakers of the G League. James has been sidelined with sciatica for the entirety of the season to this point.
James is expected to be a full participant at Lakers practice on Monday, and his return to game action could follow in short order. The Lakers have two straight games against the Utah Jazz in the coming week -- one at home on Tuesday and one in Utah on Sunday night. There's a real chance that James could return for one of those games.
Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds in 70 games for the Lakers.
Many expected the Lakers to struggle without James to start the season, but that hasn't been the case. Despite not having the services of the four-time MVP, the Lakers have gotten off to a 10-4 start to the season and they currently occupy the No. 4 seed in the competitive Western Conference.
The otherworldly play of Luka Doncic has been a major factor in L.A.'s strong start to the season. Doncic is averaging 34.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.9 assists per performance. He's leading the team in all three categories.
Austin Reaves has also been a major contributor for the Lakers. He's averaging 28.3 points, 8.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per performance. He and Doncic have done an excellent job of keeping the Lakers afloat in James' absence, and now help is on the horizon.