FC Barcelona had to do without Nikola Mirotic, the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP, for the first 10 rounds of this season, but it was finally able to welcome him back for its game on the road at ALBA Berlin on Thursday evening. Mirotic suffered an Achilles injury in mid-July and was initially expected to be out for six months, but four and a half months later, he is back on the court.
One might expect that Mirotic would take a little while to get going, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Although ALBA's Luke Sikma welcomed him back by getting past him to score inside the opening 70 seconds of the game, Mirotic quickly responded by going at Sikma and putting 2 points on the board. In a flash, Barca fans were reminded of what they have missed – a player who can get a basket whenever they want.