This season's CBA regular season is more than halfway through, and the league's landscape has become quite clear. Zhejiang Guangsha is leading the pack as the team with the most championship potential this season, followed closely by Shanxi as a dark horse. Shandong, Qingdao, Zhejiang, Xinjiang, Liaoning, and Guangdong - these teams are all within one or two wins of each other. However, no one expected Liaoning Men's Basketball, aiming for a third consecutive championship, to have already set a new high for losses in the last four years before the season even ends. As the team leader, Zhao Jiwei's performance has significantly declined, with his average score plummeting from 15.1 points last season to 9.6 points this season, almost becoming a microcosm of the team's decline.
Indeed, if we were to select the fastest-declining superstar in the CBA this year, Zhao Jiwei would undoubtedly be the "popular choice." This season, Zhao Jiwei averages 27.2 minutes per game, scoring 9.6 points, 7 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. His statistics are far inferior to those during the three consecutive championship period, with his scoring reaching a six-year low and assists at a four-year low. In addition to the basic data slump, Zhao Jiwei's shooting percentages have also hit rock bottom. His overall shooting percentage is 38.9%, the first time it has fallen below 40% in his career, and his three-point shooting is 31.3%, the second-lowest except for his rookie season. Previously, when Zhao Jiwei performed poorly in national team games, we could always say that he was still the god of point guards in the CBA when he returned to the league. But now, this statement doesn't hold up anymore. Looking solely at this season, Sun Minghui and Xu Jie's performances and statistics completely outshine Zhao Jiwei, whether in personal performance and statistics or in leading their teams to victories, Zhao Jiwei is clearly at a disadvantage.
What exactly happened to Zhao Jiwei? At the age of 29, which should be the peak for a guard, he has become the fastest-declining superstar in the CBA. What has happened to him? On the one hand, Zhao Jiwei has been plagued by injuries throughout this season. From his ears to his ankles and then his throat, every time he recovers and prepares to return to the court, injuries seem to find him again. Moreover, Liaoning's aging this season has been severe, and under the pressure of performance, Zhao Jiwei had to rush back to the court without fully recovering from his injuries. This not only affected his competitive state but also led to lingering injuries, resulting in a vicious cycle.
On the other hand, Liaoning lost two key players inside and outside this season. After Guo Ailun left, there was no true superstar guard to share the pressure with Zhao Jiwei. The departure of Morand also deprived Zhao Jiwei of his most reliable pick-and-roll partner. Especially the latter's departure directly reduced Zhao Jiwei's pick-and-roll offensive power, preventing him from delivering his usual offensive performance. Additionally, Liaoning's main forward Zhang Zhenlin missed a lot of games, leaving only two veterans, Han Dejun and Li Xiaoxu, to truly assist Zhao Jiwei.
Regardless, after the CBA returned to the era of dual foreign players, Zhao Jiwei's room for play was indeed very limited. With the sudden change in the overall environment and individual strength not reaching a very high level, Zhao Jiwei's regression and decline were almost inevitable. It's just that no one expected him to overlook the process of decline and choose to collapse directly. Some fans bluntly stated that Zhao Jiwei's regression should not be blamed on Guo Ailun, as Zhao Jiwei might be the culprit. Who made who leave, and who had to leave, remains unknown for now.