JuJu Watkins’ return to the court was on her mind every passing day of her recovery.

When USC opens the season Monday against UNLV, it’ll be 84 weeks since Watkins last played an official basketball game, and 588 days since she suffered an ACL tear.

The thought of watching her shot go through the net, the crowd’s eruptions and her relentless desire to bring a national championship to USC fueled her throughout a grueling rehab process that kept her away from the game for 1 ¹/₂ years.

But Watkins is back, and her return changes everything for USC.