The debut is imminent! Hello, Cui Yongxi! After waiting for a full year

It's here, finally arriving.

A well-known domestic media reporter reported:Cui Yongxi is expected to make his comeback debut in mid-month.

On December 11, 2024, while serving as a Nets two-way player, Cui Yongxi suffered a severe injury representing the Long Island Nets against the Maine Celtics in a G League game, diagnosed as a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which directly led to him being sidelined for the season and waived by the Nets, ending his dreamy yet brief NBA career.

Throughout the 24-25 season, Cui Yongxi played 5 regular-season games for the Nets, averaging 2.2 minutes per game with 0.6 points and 0.4 rebounds; he played 6 G League games, averaging 14 minutes per game contributing 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1 assist.

Last offseason, Cui Yongxi was traded from Guangzhou to Guangdong in a significant deal, then signed a 4-year B-class contract with his new team. His arrival gave Guangdong another national team-level local wing with NBA experience following Zhu Fangyu and Zhou Peng, making him highly anticipated yet also quite controversial; as mentioned above, his performance after returning from the severe injury remains unknown.

In the first stage of this CBA season, Guangdong achieved 17 wins and 6 losses, ranking third in the league, behind Guangsha (19-4) and Shanghai (19-4);Guangdong's first home game in the second stage starts on the 15th of this month, coincidentally against their old rival Liaoning; barring any surprises, Cui Yongxi will officially return to the court in that game.

Over the past two years in his CBA career, Cui Yongxi was coached by Chinese men's basketball head coach Guo Shiqiang while playing for Guangzhou, with performances as follows:

Rookie season regular season: averaged 11.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2 steals; playoffs: averaged 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2.8 assists;

Second-year regular season: averaged 15.7 points, 6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals; playoffs: averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1 steal.

If Cui Yongxi can perform excellently and maintain good health in the remaining schedule of this season, perhaps we can see him wearing the Chinese men's basketball jersey again in the third window of the World Cup qualifiers this July. Such a swingman with ball-handling ability and all-around offensive and defensive skills is precisely what the national team needs.