Jackson trained on Monday without trouble and will hit the court again on Tuesday as she aims to end an 11-month injury-forced absence from the sport she has played professionally for more than a decade.

The four-time Olympian could be a surprise inclusion for the Capitals' road trip to Adelaide and Perth this weekend as the team fights to keep its WNBL finals hopes alive.

But a week after swelling on her knee ruled her out of a comeback, the Capitals and Jackson are taking a cautious approach and will not rush a return if she isn't ready.

"I feel positive right now, it's just a matter of getting back on court, breaking the ice and getting through this first part," Jackson said.

"My long-term goal is [the Rio Olympics] and my short-term goal is the Capitals. I definitely want to get back on the court.

"Yes it's been frustrating and long, but the nature of my injury was that it was nasty. It's taken so long to heal. If I can get some momentum then I can move forward."

The Capitals have a crucial two-game road trip this weekend before the Christmas break.

They need to beat the Adelaide Lightning on Friday night and the West Coast Waves on Saturday to stay in touch with the top four teams on the ladder.

Jackson's presence would be huge, even if her playing time is limited as she's eased back into action after almost a year on the sideline.

The WNBL competition is arguably the strongest it's ever been, with stars such as Penny Taylor also returning.

Australian Opals champion Jackson has had five operations this year to repair her body as she sets her sights on long-term fitness.

Her knee started swelling last week and fluid had to be drained as she increased her training load.

But Jackson trained for 30 minutes on Saturday, had an individual session on Monday and will have strength tests on Tuesday before a team session at night.

"Hopefully I can do a bit of training on Tuesday night [with the team], my training will change a lot these days," Jackson said.

"I'll probably play much less of a role than I have in the past, but I just want to help my teammates."

Captain Abby Bishop has been shouldering the Capitals' hopes this season, scoring a remarkable career-high 35 points in the loss to Townsville on Sunday.

Jackson, the top player in the world at her best, will take time to find her peak. But her presence will give her Capitals' teammates confidence and help Bishop's work load.

Capitals coach Carrie Graf said Canberra was putting no pressure on Jackson to play before Christmas and will give the 33-year-old time to build up her body and fitness to be ready to cope with WNBL action.

"We'd love her to play, she'd love to play, but we're not going to rush her into anything," Graf said.

"We'll grade her up for practice and we won't be making any calls [on when she plays] until we've had in-depth discussions with where Lauren is at."