“Lakers host their annual Media Day in El Segundo, CA. Monday September 29, 2014. (Thomas R. Cordova-Daily Breeze/Press-Telegram)”

Steve Nash emerged onto the Lakers’ practice court, his presence a rare sight after spending the past week mostly in the trainer’s room dealing with back spasms and the nerve issues that have plagued him for the past two years.

This also marked the first time in a week Nash spoke with reporters, the Lakers’ guard still remaining determined he can overcome an injury that will keep him sidelined Sunday against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center.

“With all the work I’m doing,” Nash said, “I think I can be in a position to bounce back quickly.”

So much that Nash said it’s “important” that he appears in at least one of the Lakers’ remaining preseason games, including Phoenix (Tuesday at Staples Center), Portland (Wednesday in Ontario) and Sacramento (Friday in Las Vegas) before regular season play starts on Oct. 28 against Houston.

“I’d like to play in some more preseason games just to get a rhythm and start the adaptation process,” Nash said on Saturday before the Lakers’ practiced at their facility in El Segundo. “The body is an adaptive system. The more you ask of it, it adapts and can handle it. I’m trying to continually take this condition and ask it to adapt to the rigors of the game.”

But the Lakers are hesitant toward offering any long-term outlook on Nash, whose return to the practice court will depend on how quickly his continuous treatment will heal bis troublesome back.

“I don’t know what the future holds for Steve right now,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “One thing I do know is he wants to play badly.”

Nash showed some encouraging signs at the beginning of training camp.

The Lakers reported him fully healthy. He posted 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes in the Lakers’ preseason opener 11 days ago against Denver, showing the same fluidity and playmaking that he demonstrated in numerous pick-up scrimmages. But Nash played only the first quarter of last’s week exhibition against Golden State. Although the Lakers have said Nash felt back spasms after carrying bags, the Lakers’ guard downplayed that, saying, “I just woke up and had a sore back.”

Still, the Nash felt healthy enough that Lakers trainer Gary Vitti drove with him on Thursday from Manhattan Beach to Anaheim where the Lakers would host the Utah Jazz. Vitti alerted Scott via text message that Nash would like to participate in pre-game warmups in hopes to play.

“You saw how that turned out,” said Scott, offering a chuckle to mask his frustration.

Nash went through pre-game warmups and reported feeling “shooting pains down my leg.” Quickly, Nash informed Scott he did not feel comfortable playing.

“That could’ve led to bigger issues,” Nash said. “It wouldn’t be wise to play at this stage until I get relief in that area.”

The Lakers have stayed conservative with Nash, who will likely sit on back-to-back games this season. So, would Scott have even considered playing Nash knowing the risk of playing in an exhibition game?

“Preseason game or not, I’ve always gone with the player,” Scott said. “If he says, ‘Coach, I want to give it a go,’ more times than not I’ll be the type of coach to say, ‘Okay, let’s see how it goes.’”

Still, this uncertainty has prompted Scott this week to start establishing contingency plans. He admitted he has thought about starting Jeremy Lin, though he is still sidelined with a left ankle injury that will likely keep him sidelined Sunday against Utah. Scott also conceded the chances of Ronnie Price staying on a non-guaranteed contract has increased considering Sunday’s game will mark his second consecutive start.

“I have to move on with the guys I have,” Scott said. “The guys that are here practicing and playing, those are the guys I’m worried about right now. I’m worried about Steve from a personal standpoint. If I get the word he can play, it’s obviously a big plus for us. Hopefully sometime soon we’ll know the answer to that.”

The Lakers have anticipated Nash would have such issues after appearing in only 15 games. The Lakers bolstered their backcourt by acquiring Lin from Houston, drafting Jordan Clarkson and signing Price. Though the Lakers declined to waive Nash through the stretch provision this offseason, the move seemed intended more to maximize their spending power next offseason. The Lakers would have had to pay Nash’s $9.8 million salary through three years instead of paying it through just this season.

Yet, the Lakers and the 40-year-old Nash expressed more guarded optimism about he trained this offseason without any setbacks. His early progress in training camp slightly raised expectations in what will likely mark his last season that includes two NBA MVPs and a third-place standing on the league’s all-time assists list.

“We all feared it throughout the year,” Scott said. “We didn’t know when this might take place. We didn’t know if it was going to be in November or March. We were very optimistic when he started training camp because he did look great. He’s an unbelievable shape and moving up and down the floor with no hitch whatsoever. Obviously everybody here is disappointed. There’s nobody more disappointed than Steve Nash.”

Yet, Nash has not outwardly expressed such sentiments.

He still has clung to the reality that this year’s training camp has become relatively more successful than last year.

“It’s inevitable with everything I’ve gone through that there are going to be issues,” Nash said. “On the other hand, I did get through seven or eight hard days as well. I didn’t do that last year. There is some improvement. If I can adapt continually once I heal up here, I can be back on the court.”

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com