On January 15, 2022, Lonzo Ball was diagnosed with a minor meniscus tear after playing against the Warriors. At that time, it was estimated that Brother Qiu would be able to return in two months, and even catch up with the end of the regular season.

And the next time Brother Qiu plays will be October 17, 2024, that is, today, with a gap of 1,006 days. He was 24 years old when he left the game, and in 10 days, he will celebrate his 27th birthday.

The old man seems to have stolen the past three years from Brother Ball's life, Brother Ball seems to have completely disappeared from our vision, and during the recovery of his knee, he rarely followed the Bulls home and away to run back and forth.

What we do know is that in the past 1,000 days, he has had three knee surgeries on and off. The first two times were mainly repaired, but the recovery of the knee was never satisfactory and was far from the point where it could play.

Medical experts said that they had never seen this kind of situation for Brother Qiu, and in March last year, Brother Qiu underwent knee cartilage transplantation, which is equivalent to replacing a piece of cartilage. Parsons, who had the same surgery, said, "After this surgery, you even need to learn to walk again." ”

For more than a year, Brother Qiu has basically readjusted to this new pair of knees from scratch. Last season, he was reimbursed for the season again, and a player who didn't play for a few months may be forgotten, and Brother Qiu has been reimbursed for two consecutive seasons, and few people are looking forward to Brother Qiu's return, and everyone has tacitly accepted that Brother Qiu is on the verge of retirement.

In the offseason, he executed the last year of his contract, and he left the game not long after signing a four-year, 85 million contract, and when he returned, it was already in the last year of his contract. Whether it's to prove that he can still play, or to get another contract next summer, he has reached the point where he has to come back.

Brother Qiu not only came back, but also played quite well, the first preseason game of his comeback was probably to walk across the field and run, but Brother Qiu obviously regarded this preseason game as his own proof battle.

Brother Qiu's first three-point shot hit, and DiVincenzo also gave face and did not choose to defend Brother Ball. Many people say that Brother Qiu's shooting posture has changed, but in fact, his first season with the Bulls is no longer the previous snipe, but too much time has passed, and many people have forgotten Brother Qiu's three-point progress.

In the first season of the Bulls, he averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and his three-point shooting rate reached 42.3%. In today's comeback battle, Brother Qiu hit all the first two three-point shots, and he didn't lose the foundation of the shot at all.

In the whole game, the ball brother scored 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block on 4-of-6 shooting, and still filled the data column as usual. Before the big ball was injured, the role was very good, and he could do anything to fill the holes of the bulls.

The tacit understanding between him and LaVine is still there, and the only assist was a beautiful pass to LaVine, and LaVine also reciprocated, giving an assist to the ball brother who was running under the basket in the third quarter. Seeing Brother Qiu and LaVine hugging each other again made me feel like a world away.

The Bulls in the 21-22 season are the pinnacle of the Bulls in recent years. The backcourt double ghost shoots the goal, the defensive ability of Brother Ball + Caruso is still the top backcourt combination I have ever seen, the two people on the line can change defenses infinitely except for the center, DeRozan and LaVine's defensive pressure is greatly reduced, and Vucevic only needs to stand on the inside.

That Bulls team is really balanced offensively and defensively, and once ranked first in the East. But with Ball off the court, the Bulls five-man team was no longer unbreakable and eventually fell apart this offseason. DeRozan left Sacramento, Caruso went to the Thunder, and Brother Ball returned instead.

The defensive foundation and determination of the ball brother were still there, and he covered Randle in one round, and then flew to save the ball to complete the steal. Whether it is the improved three-point or the defense that is still in place, it is the foundation for Brother Qiu to regain a foothold in this league.

Before the game, a reporter asked Brother Qiu, what does it mean to return to the court? The ball brother replied: "Only happy, really, to be able to leave the locker room and put on the jersey and stand in front of the fans at the United Center again." I've missed this moment for too long, and being back in the ring is my whole world. ”

Welcome back Brother Qiu, no matter what you have experienced in the past two years, may you be treated gently by this world in your future career.