Rui was a full participant in practice on Sunday. After, head coach JJ Redick said Rui was trending toward playing, only for Rui to confirm that he plans to play on Monday.
As the team did with Austin Reaves when he returned from a calf injury, Redick said the plan is for Rui to come off the bench when he does return.
While not all injuries are the same, it would not be a surprise if the Lakers are more conservative this time around. Along those lines, the Lakers have five games over the next seven days with a pair of back-to-backs in that stretch.
Outside of everything related to the injury and a potential conservative approach to his return, there have also been calls for Rui to be moved to the bench once healthy. Could this be the path to that conclusion? If Rui performs well in this role, that may lead to the Lakers more naturally making that shift in the starting lineup.
Being able to make that decision, though, is the biggest takeaway here as the Lakers are getting an important piece back in their rotation.