Good news for Los Angeles Lakers fans: LeBron James may return to the court soon.

We don't exactly when, and the Lakers will surely remain extra-cautious with the 19-year veteran early into the 2021-22 NBA season. However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst (who has long been plugged into LeBron's camp) provided an encouraging update on the nature of the abdominal strain that has kept James sidelined for the past week.

“This is not a severe injury. He is rehabbing this and from what I am told the rehab is going well,” Windhorst said during an appearance on This Just In with Max Kellerman. “This is not going to keep him out for an extended period.”

“This is not something that is gonna dramatically impact his ability,” Windhorst added. “If you're going to nurse an injury, it's this time of the season, and that's what LeBron's doing.”

James' “rectus abdominis” strain was revealed last Thursday. Initial reports estimated his absence at “at least” a week, though follow-up speculation – including from a former Lakers strength and conditioning coach — has fueled concerns about his true recovery timeline. On Monday, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said there is no timetable for his return.

LeBron has already dealt with ankle soreness this season, which caused him to miss two games. The Lakers are 2-3 without LeBron, and have particularly struggled to maintain leads and in their crunch-time execution without their conductor.

Los Angeles will host the Miami Heat tonight, the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, and the Chicago Bulls on Monday before hitting the road for a five-game Eastern Conference swing. LeBron has officially been ruled out of Wednesday's game vs. Miami.