TJ Leaf seems a near certainty to play in UCLA’s Pac-12 tournament opener on Thursday.

But even the freshman forward may not know how close to 100 percent he’ll be at that point. The Bruins’ leading scorer before he sprained his left ankle less than five minutes into UCLA’s win over Washington March 1 practiced with an ankle brace on Tuesday. But coach Steve Alford didn’t make it sound like he would be without restrictions.

“We’ll ease him back in (Tuesday),” Alford said before practice. “We’ll have a practice (Wednesday). But we fully anticipate him going on Thursday.”

Leaf was on the bench in a walking boot on Saturday for UCLA’s regular season finale against Washington State. He also said he would have played had it been an NCAA tournament game.

It’s certainly a good sign that UCLA isn’t waiting any longer than Thursday to suit him up in a game. It’s easy to believe that if the injury were more serious, there would be no issue holding him out even through the end of the Pac-12 tournament.

Yes, the Bruins’ performance this week could be the difference between a No. 2 seed and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. A No. 1 seed or a No. 4 seed are far less likely, but aren’t out of the discussion either.

But UCLA is well aware the most important time for Leaf to be on the court is for the big dance. No seed trumps that, not for a team that is capable of beating anybody in the country, anywhere.

Now Leaf will get a game or two (or three) to find his footing. If all is well, he’ll knock of any minimal rust gathered over the last week.