After the start of the 21-22 CBA season, the team that disappointed the fans the most was definitely Xinjiang, who currently had a 1-4 result, ranking second from the bottom of the standings, in fact, it was the same as the Tianjin team. Although everyone knows that because of Zhou Qi's departure from Xinjiang, this season will decline a lot, but the start is still so dismal that people are still lamentable, after all, in the past ten years, this northwest only seedling is the absolute giant of the CBA, so it is the first time that the gray head is dirty.
There are multiple reasons for the current poor performance of the Xinjiang team, but it is not really useless, there is no shortage of talented young people in the team, but the team's system and confidence have yet to be rebuilt. For example, in the match with Liaoning on the 25th, captain Abdul Salam slashed 43 points, bringing a lot of positive signals, so that some Xinjiang fans felt that losing was not so pessimistic. At present, the recovery of Abdul Salam has at least 3 significances.
First of all, Abdul Shalamu proved that his top salary contract was worth the money, and the Money of the Xinjiang team did not drift. Abdul Salam entered the CBA in 2015, and he started out relatively young and had little chance to perform, until 2018, when he fully proved his ability at Li Nan's national team. That season, the Xinjiang team immediately put Abdul Shalamu as the team's main small forward, and he averaged 18.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
However, the serious injury in 2019 allowed Abdul Salam to recuperate for a year, and after returning last season, his speed and strength fell visibly, the offensive end felt unstable, and the defense became a colander, averaging only 7.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 24 minutes per game, more than half of the previous loss.
This summer just happened to be the expiration of Abdul Salam's contract, and many people felt that if the Xinjiang team gave the maximum salary, in case he could not recover his state, the money was most likely spent in vain. However, after losing Kelan Baike, Xi Relijiang and Yu Changdong, the Xinjiang team had to keep a local leader, and after not too much hesitation, it was given a 5-year maximum salary contract. In the summer, Abdul Shalamu personally promised that he would come back in form, and since the beginning of the season, he has averaged 16.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in the first four games, and the signs of recovery are obvious, what is important is that he is in good physical condition and dares to make moves, which is where fans are happy.
The first important significance is that the Xinjiang team has a relatively stable offensive point. Because of Zhou Qi's departure, the Xinjiang team system is basically solidified in the reconstruction, the ability and talent of the defenders are basically solidified, the upper limit of Lingxu, Yu Dehao, and Arslan is visible to the naked eye, while the inside line is basically all newcomers, which cannot be expected in the short term, and everyone generally believes that Qi Lin, who performed well last season, will become the number one attacker. However, the youngster has been in a very unstable state since the start of the tournament, but this is the only hope.
Fortunately, Abdul Salam recovered in time, his efficiency and timing choices are still superior, similar to Zhou Qi to attract more defense, but also to make teammates play relatively easier.
The last impact of Abdul Salam's recovery may be at the national team level, and Du Feng has one more choice. In the past two years, the domestic local defenders have collectively erupted, too many talents have formed internal competition, but the front line that was proud of in the past has fallen collectively, taking this year as an example, Ding Yanyuhang, Abdul Salam, Zhai Xiaochuan are all injured, and Du Feng can only rely on the veteran Zhou Peng, and then select several young people to train. Nowadays, if Abdul Salam gradually warms up, as a player born in 1996, there are still many opportunities to play for the country, and even Zhang Zhenlin, Qi Lin and others who want to take over must first cross his pass.
Of course, now for head coach Adi Jiang can be slightly relieved, although the results are not good, but at least the chaotic psychology of Zhou Qi's departure is gradually stabilizing, first let Abdul Shalamu recover, and then build confidence for others, and the new team has been improving step by step.