24/7! Explosive season debut! China's top point guard

Step-back crossover three-pointer.

Fast break, assisted a teammate's layup.

Ball-handling drive, floater scored.

Zhao Jiwei’s season debut was fully charged; in 23 minutes on court, he shot 6 for 13, including 4 for 10 from beyond the arc, and made 8 of 10 free throws, accumulating 24 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal with a game-high +17 plus-minusleading Liaoning to an 82-75 home win against Xinjiang.

As always, a team must have a skilled guard to orchestrate the offense; without that, even the most star-studded roster struggles to perform as expected.

So far this season, the injury-hit Liaoning team has only managed an 8-7 record, ranking ninth in the league. The top four spots are held by the defending champions Guangsha at 13-2, Shanghai at 12-3, Guangdong at 12-3, and Qingdao at 11-4.

Liaoning has finally regained their team’s brain and backbone, so their results should improve, but they remain unlikely contenders for the championship. With Zhang Zhenlin leaving and Han Dejun retiring, the team’s overall strength has declined, though they have already achieved a historic three consecutive titles from 2021 to 2024, establishing a new dynasty.

In the summer of 2025, 30-year-old Zhao Jiwei signed a four-year D-level max contract with Liaoning. That same year at the National Games, he suffered a left thigh muscle strain, which delayed his return until now and caused him to miss China’s two losses to South Korea during the first window of the World Cup qualifiers, leaving coach Guo Shiqiang without a point guard.

Now that Zhao Jiwei has recovered and is in excellent form, it is almost certain he will be called up for China’s national team matches in the second window of the World Cup qualifiers: February 26 against Japan and March 1 against Chinese Taipei. Despite criticism of his performance on the FIBA stage, he remains a trusted choice of all past national team coaches.

Zhao Jiwei’s most recent appearance for China was last February in the Asian qualifiers, where China defeated Japan 100-58. Coming off the bench, he played about 16 highly efficient minutes, scoring 9 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists, and making 3 steals, without committing a single turnover.