Passed! Congratulations to Zhao Jiwei on signing a four-year max contract during the off-season.

It's over, the CBA basketball gala is no more.

Without Zhao Jiwei (injured) and Zhang Zhenlin (transferred to Shanghai), the Liaoning team can no longer match up to Guangdong, recently losing heavily 78-108 at home.

This season, Guangdong leads the league in third place with an 11-2 record, while Liaoning has only managed 7 wins and 6 losses, ranking tenth.Naturally, they still have the strength to fight for the playoffs, but their championship hopes are nearly gone.

In the 21-22, 22-23, and 23-24 seasons, Liaoning achieved a three-peat, establishing a new dynasty. However, in a short time, much has changed, with many key players retiring or leaving the team.

Back to the point, the struggling Liaoning team has finally received some good news,Zhao Jiwei has passed his physical test and obtained his clearance to play, meaning he is about to return, possibly making his season debut this Tuesday in the away game against Qingdao.Last summer, on his 30th birthday, he signed a four-year D-level max salary renewal contract.

In November last year, Zhao Jiwei suffered a left thigh muscle strain during the National Games, which has kept him out of all games this season. Without this core point guard and team leader, Liaoning has struggled as described above. His return is expected to greatly improve the team's difficult situation.

If Zhao Jiwei can participate in the first phase of the CBA and regain his competitive form, the Chinese men’s basketball team will be pleased, as they can then call him up for the World Cup qualifiers against Japan on February 26 and Chinese Taipei on March 1.

It is undeniable that Zhao Jiwei’s performance on the FIBA stage has not met expectations, but he is one of the few local guards with organizational skills. The Chinese team cannot rely solely on Zhao Rui, who often struggles with fitness, to run the team. A team without a playmaker cannot function properly; the past two losses to Korea were due to the lack of control on the court.

The last time Zhao Jiwei wore the national team jersey was back in February last year during the Asian qualifiers, where in China’s 100-58 victory over Japan, he came off the bench, playing about 16 minutes and scoring 9 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals, without a single turnover.

Most importantly, Guo Shiqiang has the instruction manual for using Zhao Jiwei, which might allow him to perform on the international stage just as well as he does in the CBA.