Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis is taking a step forward in the rehabilitation from his foot injury, though he is still likely a few weeks away from a return to the court

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the pain in Davis' right foot "continues to subside," and he "plans to begin the ramp-up process to return to play when the team returns to L.A. this week."

Davis' increased recovery workload will include "aquatic pool workouts and running on an altered-gravity treadmill to keep the big man's full weight off his foot while it continues to heal," with optimism that the process "could only take a couple weeks before Davis could start penciling a potential return to game action."

On Dec. 23, the Lakers announced AD would be out indefinitely with a stress injury in his right foot.

Davis hadn't played since Dec. 16 when he left his team's 126-108 win over the Denver Nuggets after 17 minutes.

McMenamin provided more information the following day.

"Davis appeared to tweak his right foot after his lower leg collided with Nikola Jokić's leg while the two were in midair near the basket in the first quarter.

"A source familiar with Davis' injury told ESPN that Davis is experiencing discomfort in his right foot, but there is hope he did not suffer anything severe. He was likely set to undergo an MRI for further evaluation."

Davis returned in the second quarter but did not take the court after halftime.

The 11-year veteran was arguably playing the best basketball of his career before the foot injury, and that's saying a lot considering his resume, which features eight All-Star nods and four All-NBA team appearances. In 25 games, Davis is averaging 27.4 points on 59.4 percent shooting, 12.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest.

He was scorching hot before the injury, averaging 40.2 points and 13.2 rebounds in his last five full games. That included a 55-point, 17-rebound outing against the Washington Wizards.

Unfortunately, the Lakers were forced to forge ahead without the superstar. His absence has meant more playing time for big men such as Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones and Wenyen Gabriel.