Lin Qi stood up and walked to the French windows.
" Grant, do you know why many players can't reach their previous level after returning from injury?"
"Because... the injury left lasting effects?"
"Not entirely." Lin Qi turned around. "A more important reason is that traditional rehabilitation methods only focus on the injury itself, not on overall bodily function."
Lin Qi walked back to the sofa and sat down.
"For example, what would traditional rehabilitation procedures look like if you injured your ankle?" Lin Qi asked.
"Stretching, strength training, gradually increasing the weight..." Hill said.
"Yes," Lin Qi nodded. "But the problem is, the ankle doesn't exist in isolation. The ankle connects to the calf, the calf connects to the knee, the knee connects to the hip joint, and the hip joint connects to the core. It's a complete biomechanical chain."
Lin Qi stood up and pointed to his leg.
"If you only rehabilitate your ankle without rebuilding the entire lower limb biomechanical chain, you'll never achieve true recovery," Lin Qi said. "Because your body will compensate. If your ankle isn't stable enough, your knee will bear more stress. Knee compensation leads to hip problems. Hip problems lead to core imbalance."
Lin Qi sat back down on the sofa.
"Ultimately, you appear to have recovered and can run and jump again, but your movement patterns have changed. You are no longer the Grant Hill of your Pistons era, and you could suffer new injuries at any time."
Hill was dumbfounded. He had never heard of this theory from those quack doctors in Detroit.
"Then what should we do?" Hill asked.
"Functional training," Lin Qi said, "Is not about training a single muscle in isolation, but about training the coordination, stability, and explosiveness of the entire body."
Lin Qi pressed the remote control, and a video appeared on the projector.
In the video, a lean, muscular middle-aged man is instructing an athlete on training. The athlete is standing on an unstable platform, balancing on one leg while simultaneously performing a tossing and catching motion with both hands.
"His name is Verstegen," Lin Qi introduced. " Mark Verstegen runs a training center in State of Arizona that specializes in training professional athletes. Top players from the NFL and MLB go to him. But no NBA player has contacted him yet."
In the video, Verstegen says, "The human body is not a collection of isolated parts. Your ankles, knees, hips, core—they are a whole system. If you only rehabilitate your ankles without rebuilding the entire system, you will never achieve true recovery."
Verstegen pointed to the athlete. "Look, he's doing single-leg balance while simultaneously throwing and catching a ball with his upper body. This trains coordination, stability, and proprioception. This is true functional training."
Lin Qi pressed the pause button.
" Verstegen's approach is completely different from traditional rehabilitation methods," Lin Qi said. "The traditional method is: if you injure your ankle, do ankle stretching and strength training, and then gradually increase the weight. But Verstegen's method is: rebuild the function of the entire body. It's not just about restoring ankle strength, but also restoring your balance, coordination, explosiveness, and reaction speed."
Lin Qi looked at Hill.
"I'd like to involve Verstegen in your rehabilitation," Lin Qi said. "He can't come to Boston full-time; he has other clients. But I can arrange two things: First, you can fly to Arizona regularly to train there for a period of time. Second, I'll have him come to Boston for periodic guidance, such as once a month, to assess your progress and adjust your rehabilitation plan."
Lin Qi stood up and walked over to Hill.
" Grant, I don't want you to go back to where you were before you were injured," Lin Qi said. "I want you to become stronger."
Hill's heart pounded. He suddenly felt that joining Boston might be the best decision he had ever made. The man in front of him was not only giving him money, but also using a wisdom ahead of his time to save his career.
"Thank you, Lin Qi." Hill's voice trembled slightly.
"Don't thank me yet," Lin Qi smiled. "Because the pain you'll experience over the next year will be ten times greater than the pain of the past four months."
Lin Qi walked back to the whiteboard and pointed to the rehabilitation plan.
" Verstegen's training won't be comfortable," Lin Qi said. "He'll have you doing a lot of weird-looking exercises: single-leg balance, unstable platform, dynamic stretching, core rotations... These exercises will make your body relearn how to move."
Lin Qi turned around and looked at Hill.
"And you need to be mentally prepared," Lin Qi said. "During the rehabilitation process, you might feel like you're regressing because you'll be rebuilding from the most basic movements. You'll have to relearn how to stand, how to walk, how to run, how to jump. You'll be overwhelmed by frustration, and you might even feel like you can't walk anymore. I hope you won't call me crying then."
Lin Qi walked back to the sofa and sat down.
"But I need you to believe in the process," Lin Qi said. "Believe in Dr. Lasset, believe in Verstegen, and believe in me."
"I won't. Even if it means going to hell, I will never turn back." Hill's eyes were resolute.
"Very good, the rehabilitation plan is finished." Lin Qi walked back to his desk, picked up a new document, and said, "Now, let's talk about improving your basketball skills; that's the second thing."
"Want to be upgraded further?" Hill raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. No matter how much you recover, there's one skill you absolutely must master, even if you're in a wheelchair." Lin Qi slammed the file on the table.
"Three-pointer."
Hill paused for a moment, then subconsciously touched his chin. " Lin Qi, you know, my three-point shooting percentage with the Pistons last season was only 30.8%... That's not my usual weapon."
" Grant, listen. There are three reasons why I'm having you practice three-pointers."
"First, roster compatibility," Lin Qi said. "With the Celtics, you have to coexist with Pierce and Garnett. If you don't have a three-point shot, you have to operate in the paint or mid-range. But Pierce also likes to isolate in the mid-range, and Garnett also needs space in the paint. If all three of you are crammed into the same area, the offense will be crowded."
Lin Qi drew a simple diagram of a basketball court on the whiteboard.
"But if you have a three-point shot, you can stretch the floor and create space for Pierce and Garnett." Lin Qi drew a few arrows. "You hold the ball at the top of the key, and if the opponent doesn't dare to leave you open, you shoot. If they close out, you pass. This will make our offense much smoother."
"Secondly, it will extend your career," Lin Qi said. " Grant, your playing style has always been primarily based on driving to the basket. This takes a lot of strain on your body, especially your ankles and knees. If you can master the three-pointer, you won't need to attack the basket every possession; you can shoot from the outside. This will reduce physical contact and extend your career."
Hill nodded. He understood the reason.
"Third, future trends in basketball," Lin Qi said.
Lin Qi pressed the remote control, and a set of data appeared on the projector.
NBA Three-Point Attempts Trend:
1995-96 season: 15.3 times per game.
1999-2000 season: 13.7 times per game.
2000-01 season (currently): 14.2 times per game.
"Right now, it doesn't seem like the three-point shot has seen explosive growth yet," Lin Qi said. "But I'm telling you, in the next 10, 15 years, the three-point shot will completely change basketball."
Lin Qi stood up and walked to the window.
"Why?" Lin Qi said, "Because of math. The expected value of a three-pointer (= points taken × shooting percentage) is 1.5 times that of a two-pointer. A 35% three-pointer has the same scoring efficiency as a 52.5% two-pointer."
Lin Qi turned around.
"Most teams haven't realized this yet," Lin Qi said. "But in the future, more and more teams will realize that the three-pointer is the most efficient way to score. At that time, players who can't shoot threes will find it increasingly difficult to gain a foothold in the league."
Hill was somewhat shocked.
He never thought that way. When he was with the Pistons, the three-pointer was just a supplement to his offensive arsenal, not the core of it.
"How much do you want me to improve my three-point shooting percentage?" Hill asked.
"Over 35%," Lin Qi said. "If it could reach 38% or 40%, that would be even better."
"That's not easy," Hill said.
"I know," Lin Qi said, "But you have more than a year. And in the early stages of rehabilitation, you can't do contact drills, you can't run or jump, but you can practice shooting."
Lin Qi walked back to the sofa and sat down.
" Grant, let me do the math for you," Lin Qi said. "For the first six months of your rehabilitation, your left foot won't even be able to support your own weight. But your upper body will be healthy. You can sit in a wheelchair or a special chair and practice 500 pure upper-body shooting drills every day. In six months, that's 90,000 shots."
Hill gasped.
"By the 7th to 12th month, when you can stand, you should do 1,000 spot-up three-point shots every day. No need to jump, just practice muscle memory and arc. That's another 180,000 repetitions."
Lin Qi looked at Hill.
"That's nearly 270,000 three-point attempts in total, enough to rebuild your shooting muscle memory," Lin Qi said. "By the time you return, the three-pointer will no longer be your weakness, but rather your regular weapon."
Lin Qi stood up and walked to the whiteboard.
"To summarize," Lin Qi said, "You have three things to do over the next 14 months."
Lin Qi wrote on the whiteboard.
Grant Hill's 14-month plan:
1. Follow Dr. Lasset's rehabilitation plan to allow your ankle to heal completely.
Months 1-6: Bone healing observation period, non-weight-bearing training.
Months 7-12: Strength rebuilding period, with gradual weight loading.
Months 13-18: High-intensity competitive training, simulating match intensity.
2. Combine with Verstegen's functional training to rebuild the body's systems.
Regularly travel to Arizona or Verstegen to provide guidance in Boston.
Core stability training, dynamic balance training, and biomechanical reconstruction.
3. Practice three-point shooting, aiming for a 35%+ success rate.
Months 1-6: Seated basketball shooting, 500 shots per day.
Months 7-12: Standing basketball shooting, 1000 shots per day.
Months 13-18: Competitive shooting, 500 shots per day.
Lin Qi put down his pen and turned around.
"If you can do these three things," Lin Qi said, "You won't just be a return to the Grant Hill of his Pistons days. You'll be an upgraded Grant Hill."
Lin Qi walked up to Hill.
"A versatile forward who can drive, orchestrate the offense, and shoot threes," Lin Qi said. "A Grant Hill who is even more valuable in modern basketball."
Hill clenched his fist.
"An upgraded version of Grant Hill."
"Not only did they achieve a breakthrough and demonstrate organization, but they also scored three points."
"Not only will it recover to 100%, it will become even stronger."
" Lin Qi," Hill said firmly, "I will."
Lin Qi nodded and extended his hand.
Hill grabbed his cane and, supporting himself on his right leg, stood up straight. Without hesitation, he grabbed Lin Qi's hand and held it tightly.
"Fourteen months from now," Lin Qi said, "I want to see a completely new Grant Hill."
"You will," Hill said.