Kobe Bryant has practiced with the team, but Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni said that talks about the return of the superstar guard are premature.

Bryant, who is recovering from surgery that repaired a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg, practiced with the team for the first time on Saturday and participated in shooting drills on Sunday, but skipped the team's shootaround before their game against the Detroit Pistons.

D'Antoni said that participating in practice is just one of several steps Bryant has to take before his return, the coach adding that the team is still taking a cautious approach with their superstar.

"You're dealing with, 'Is he sore today? Is there a setback tomorrow? How hard can he go?' That's the first step and there's a lot of steps to be taken. So, I just think we need to be cautious. We best just be cool and chill out a little bit," D'Antoni said in a statement as reported by ESPN.

D'Antoni needs a player of Bryant's caliber after the Lakers started the season with a 5-7 record. The veteran coach knows that Bryant's presence alone is a huge boost for them, but D'Antoni reiterated that they will strictly go by the process laid out for Bryant instead of rushing his return, which could lead to huge setbacks in the long run.

"We know that he's capable. It's just going to be a process to get him back. He's a presence, no doubt, and we need that presence, especially at the end of games. But again, we got games to win and there's going to be a bunch of them before he comes back, so we're going to have to do our business," D'Antoni said.

D'Antoni added that Bryant will participate in several areas of the Lakers' practices during their scheduled four-day break from Monday to Thursday before taking on the Golden State Warriors on Friday.