No more playing! Zhang Ning suffers a sudden injury! Three-time CBA All-Star top-salary guard

What?

Zhang Ning has suffered a muscle injury in the inner rear part of his left thigh with a partial tendon tear, expected to miss 6-8 weeks...

Up to now this season, Zhang Ning has appeared in 5 games for Shanxi, starting twice, playing an average of 23.6 minutes, with 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, shooting 40%, 27.3%, and 60% respectively. His scoring average is the lowest since his rookie year, despite signing a three-year top-class contract last summer.

It’s not that Zhang Ning has slacked off after getting the big contract, but he has been plagued by injuries multiple times this season. Once he fully recovers physically, he should be able to reclaim his position as Shanxi’s top domestic scorer.

This guy was born on February 19, 1997, was the 8th pick in the first round of the 2020 draft, a model college player, has been selected to the All-Star team three times, and has frequently participated in China’s national team training camps in recent years, although he mostly missed out on final rosters, such as during last year’s Asia Cup and the first window of World Cup qualifiers.

With Zhang Ning now unexpectedly suffering a serious injury, he is definitely out of the Chinese national team’s training roster for the second window of the World Cup qualifiers (February 26 vs Japan and March 1 vs Chinese Taipei).

Speaking of Shanxi (34-12), last season they were the second-best team in the regular season and even reached the semifinals in the playoffs. However, this season, due to Goodwin leaving to bring his talent to Shanghai and a severe injury wave, they have only managed a 10-7 record so far, ranking eighth in the league with a sharp decline in competitiveness.

Fortunately, in early December last year, Shanxi paid a high salary to bring Diallo back from a Spanish league club; otherwise, their season record would be even worse. This move also helped maintain the entertainment value, keeping fans coming to watch. Currently, the team’s offensive pace ranks third in the league with 94.1 possessions per game, just behind Guangdong (96.2) and Shenzhen (94.9).

As the 2019 NBA Slam Dunk Champion, Diallo’s physical abilities are unique in the CBA. So far this season, he’s averaged 22.6 minutes per game, delivering comprehensive stats of 19.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks.