Lakers' LeBron James Teases Return from Injury in Social Media Video, Cryptic Caption

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James generated buzz Friday regarding his potential return to game action in the near future.

In a video on his Instagram Stories, James seemed to be stepping onto a basketball court. The post also included an hourglass emoji:

LeBron has yet to play in a game this season due a sciatica issue on his right side.

On Oct. 9, the Lakers announced that James would miss at least three to four more weeks after being unable to participate in training camp because of the sciatica.

It has been just over a month since that announcement, which suggests James' return could be on the horizon.

On Wednesday, Lakers head coach JJ Redick told reporters that James practiced with the team's G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, marking LeBron's first practice of the season.

Redick noted that James did some five-on-five work, which is often the last step before a player returns from injury.

Even without one of the greatest players in NBA history in the lineup, the Lakers are off to a strong start this season.

At 8-4, they are fifth in the Western Conference, and they largely have Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to thank for their success thus far.

Both players are delivering All-Star-caliber basketball with Dončić averaging 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game, and Reaves putting up 28.3 points, 8.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per contest.

The Lakers have also gotten better than expected play out of Rui Hachimura (16.0 points per game) and Deandre Ayton (15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game).

Although James will turn 41 on Dec. 31, he remains one of the best and most complete players in the NBA when healthy.

Just last season, the four-time NBA champion, four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP was named an All-Star for the 21st time, as he averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game.

The Lakers are already a good team without James, but adding a player of his caliber into the mix could potentially elevate L.A. legitimate championship contender status.