" Jazz center Memo Okur took a small-but-significant step Thursday toward his eventual return from Achilles' tendon surgery.

During the Jazz's morning shootaround in advance of their preseason game against Phoenix at EnergySolutions Arena, Okur did some light shooting.

It was his first on-court activity since being injured during the opening round of the playoffs last April.

"I was out there … shooting," Okur said. "Kind of post-up. Individual. Not one-on-one or five-on-five stuff. [But] I just want to be out there [and] be with my teammates. It's been awhile. So it felt good."

Asked how his surgically repaired leg feels, Okur said, "Better. Stronger. [I] can tell you that, which makes me excited because I feel like I'm getting better every day. … It's a good feeling right now."

An hour before the Jazz-Suns game Thursday night, Okur was also on the court, doing more light shooting and laughing with teammates.

Still, neither the Jazz nor Okur come close to setting a timetable for his return.

"We know the injury he's had and the only thing we can do is go play until he gets here," coach Jerry Sloan said. "We hope he gets back as soon as he can. But we aren't going to put any pressure on anybody.""