This season, Guangdong Hongyuan has recorded a record of 14 wins and 11 losses, with a win rate of only 56%, which is the worst record since the team entered the year 2000. If there is any surprise this season for Guangdong, Xu Jie's breakout performance definitely counts as one. This season, Xu Jie has achieved a major breakthrough in his personal performance, with all his stats setting new career highs. Recently, Xu Jie has been even more fortunate, becoming a "Glory Owner" for a certain car company and receiving a new luxury car, followed by winning the CBA Player of the Month award! Additionally, in the first week of voting for the CBA All-Star, Xu Jie received the second-highest number of votes in the entire league, surpassing star guards such as Zhao Rui, Hu Mingxuan, Guo Ailun, and Zhao Jiwei, becoming the "second-highest vote-getter" for the CBA All-Star!
Some fans jokingly say, with Xu Jie working so hard recently, shouldn't Zhu Fangyu give him a raise? After Hu Mingxuan's injury, Xu Jie has to play an average of 39 minutes per game, scoring 19.3 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, dishing out 7.9 assists, and making 1.9 steals. Xu Jie's impressive average stats are thanks to Guangdong's management. Because Zhu Fangyu's eye for small foreign players is extremely poor, the foreign players who joined the team, including Barton, Arms, and Les, were all returned. Throughout December, Guangdong did not have a small foreign player, and in fact, Xu Jie became the team's small foreign player, with full ball possession and playing time, no wonder his stats look so good. In December, Xu Jie led Guangdong to a record of 7 wins and 7 losses, ultimately winning the CBA Player of the Month award. It's worth noting that Xu Jie is the first Guangdong player to win this award since Yi Jianlian, considering Xu Jie's physical conditions, this is truly remarkable!
In addition to winning the CBA Player of the Month, Xu Jie recently also received a new car. A certain car company invited Xu Jie to become a "Glory Owner," gifting him a luxury PHEV worth around 400,000 yuan. Moreover, Xu Jie also signed an endorsement contract with the car company, which can be considered as adding a bit of salary. Speaking of salary, Xu Jie is still on a Class B contract, earning around 700,000 yuan a year, which is absolutely considered a "child labor contract" for a national team guard and CBA All-Star player. It's not that Xu Jie is busy looking for endorsements, it's just that his salary is too low, and he needs to supplement his income!
After announcing the end of cooperation with small foreign player Les, Guangdong will continue to face a longer period without a small foreign player. With Hu Mingxuan still recovering from injury and the team lacking a small foreign player, Xu Jie will continue to play over 40 minutes per game. It must be said that Xu Jie seems to enjoy having absolute ball possession and shooting rights, but Zhu Fangyu should at least give him a raise. Working 996 is not impossible, but the money must be enough! Not finding a small foreign player is fine, but giving Xu Jie a bonus as salary will motivate him to continue working hard.
