Sudden severe injury! MVP-level guard! China's strongest opponent in the World Cup qualifiers

Oh~

Arakji collapsed without contact during the recent domestic league finals. Preliminary reports indicate a possible medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury. Either way, he won't be back on the court anytime soon.

Born on September 4, 1994, Arakji is a 1.93m combo guard. In the 2022 Asian Cup quarterfinals, he shot 22-of-13 for 32 points, almost single-handedly leading the Lebanese men's basketball team to a 72-69 narrow victory over China.

In short, from a purely competitive standpoint, if Arakji is unable to represent Lebanon in the World Cup qualifiers on August 31 this summer due to injury, it would certainly benefit the Chinese team. However, from a fairness perspective, I still hope both sides can field their full rosters for a real showdown.

This guy is truly formidable when healthy. With him, Lebanon is a completely different team. In the 2022 Asian Cup, he averaged 26 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, with shooting splits of 51.7%, 45.8%, and 84.4%. He led the team to a runner-up finish, won MVP, and was named to the All-Tournament First Team. In the 2023 World Cup, he also averaged a solid 18 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Perhaps Arakji deserves to be called Asia's No.1 guard more than Yuki Kawamura.

It's worth noting that Arakji previously played in the CBA. During the 2017-18 season with the Beijing Beikong Fly Dragons, he appeared in 5 games (4 starts), averaging 34.8 minutes, 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.4 steals, with shooting splits of 43.1%, 13.6%, and 72%.

Unfortunately, since the 2020-21 season, the CBA abolished the Asian import policy. Otherwise, Arakji wouldn't have disappeared from our sight after just five games. In terms of individual ability, he could even be used as a true small foreign player. But "preconceptions" are hard to change—black players with NBA experience have always been more favored.

Finally, best wishes to Arakji. May he recover soon and return to the court as quickly as possible. The Lebanese men's basketball team desperately needs his leadership to pursue a ticket to the 2027 World Cup.