Last offseason, Guangdong and Xinjiang completed a significant trade, with Zhao Rui and Zhou Qi swapping teams. Unfortunately, both players have been plagued by injuries since joining their new clubs. This season, their stories have been eerily similar, as they have once again been beset by injuries. While Zhou Qi, who moved from Guangdong to Beijing, has still managed to showcase his influence on both ends of the court, Zhao Rui has now regressed to being just an average rotational player.
In a recent high-profile match against Beijing, Zhao Rui played only 17 minutes, making 1 of 2 shots for 2 points and 6 assists. To date, Zhao Rui has played only 13 games for Xinjiang, averaging 10.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 24.8 minutes per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 37.5%. While he can still maintain his influence from his time at Guangdong in terms of outside shooting accuracy and playmaking, his offensive desire has clearly declined compared to previous seasons. If it weren't for Liu Wei's discovery of the offensive potential of Xi Erzati and Yili Fulaite this season, Xinjiang would indeed find it difficult to rank in the top half of the league, given the comprehensive decline in offensive aggression from both Abudu and Zhao Rui, two top-salaried players.
Although Zhao Rui has fulfilled his wish to leave Guangdong after many years of service, it seems that he has not truly reached the heights he should have in Xinjiang. If Zhao Rui really intends to continue down this path of giving up, then this former top dual-guard in the league will not only fall out of the top ranks of point guards but may also become increasingly distant from the national team. Indeed, injuries have been an objective reason for Zhao Rui's performance not meeting expectations over the past two seasons. However, as a professional player, injuries are inevitable. Zhao Rui originally possessed the strength of a top domestic guard in the league, but if he does not want to rediscover his talent, he will only go further down the path of "laid-back basketball."
Despite the underwhelming performances of core players like Abudu and Zhao Rui, Xinjiang's men's basketball team still managed to rank among the top four in the league this season. Therefore, if these two national team players can recover to at least 80-90% of their peak form, a fully healthy Xinjiang still has a chance to make a championship push. After this season, Zhao Rui's Class D top-tier contract will have only one year left. Even though his influence and hard power with 100% focus are still top-level in the league, if he cannot perfectly present himself on the court, it is believed that Xinjiang will likely not continue to cooperate with him and may even trade him again.
Zhao Rui, who is about to turn 29, has entered the prime of his career. However, if he is truly plagued by injuries and his attendance rate cannot be guaranteed, this golden period may soon pass. For someone who relies somewhat on his explosive power to play, once he gets older and his physical abilities decline, the help he can provide to the team will also be limited. Therefore, the X factor that will determine whether Xinjiang can win another championship this season and next should be Zhao Rui. Everyone has witnessed the peak Zhao Rui, and as long as his condition can be guaranteed, there is no doubt that it will increase Xinjiang's chances of winning the championship.