Jeremy Lin Ranked as No. 1 Point Guard for 2016-17 NBA Season: Will the Brooklyn Nets Star Player Live Up to The Hype?
The expectations for Jeremy Lin continue to mount as the 2016-17 NBA season draws near. The 27-year-old star player of the Brooklyn Nets was recently ranked by the league's online fans as the number one point guard for the incoming season.
Fans are Rooting for Lin
In an online poll conducted by HoopsHype, the NBA website of USA Today, Lin was voted by fans as the No. 1 starting point guard heading into the 2016-17 NBA season. The newly-signed star player of the Brooklyn Nets garnered the highest number of fan votes, outnumbering Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) and Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers).
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The expectations for Lin are high because the NBA star has been very vocal about his desire to do better in the incoming season. According to Jay Siskin of FanSided, Lin wanted to prove that he can be a full-time starting point guard again and replicate his breakout performance in the court four years ago.
High Expectations
It can be recalled that Lin ignited the "Linsanity" euphoria with the New York Knicks in the 2011-12 NBA season. The point guard reached the NBA superstar status after he averaged 14.6 points in his first full season.
However, Lin struggled to replicate his success after he left the Knicks in the 2012-13 NBA season. The Harvard graduate had lackluster stints with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. Last season, he was credited as the backup point guard who made major contributions in Charlotte Hornets' wins.
Early last month, Lin inked a $36-million multiyear contract with the Nets for a major role as starting point guard. In an interview with New York Post, Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, said that aside from leading the team, Lin is expected to expand the fan base of the Nets and increase its merchandise sales.
Will Lin Live Up to The Expectations?
Hornets' starting point guard, Kemba Walker, told Charlotte Observer that his former teammate Lin is a great player and he was able to prove that in the last season. Walkers expressed that Lin is a big loss for the Hornets. However, he is happy with the former teammate's move to the Nets. "He deserves to be a starter in this league," he stated.
As the hype around Lin continues to grow, ESPN's early forecast of the 2016-17 Eastern Conference standings stated that the point guard's popularity will not help the Nets in the court. The panel projected that based on the team's poor defensive efficiency last season, Lin and the rest of the key players will not bring more wins to the Nets.
