Jeremy Lin, Brooklyn Nets to End Up as the 2016-17 NBA Season's Worst Team? Basketball Hall of Famer Says the Roster Might Surprise People
Some sports analysts and fans heavily touted Jeremy Lin and the Brooklyn Nets as the worst team heading into the 2016-17 NBA season. Basketball Hall of Famer Kevin McHale agreed to the dire predictions, however, he believes that the roster might end up surprising people.
Lin & the Nets Might Overachieve
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McHale, who was Lin's coach with the Houston Rockets from 2012-2014, told New York Post that he agrees to early projections that tag the Nets as the weakest link in the upcoming season. "But I've seen lots of teams that people thought didn't have chance come together and overachieve," he quickly added.
The 58-year-old former Rockets coach who is now a TNT analyst opined that the Nets can do better than the projections. He stressed that Lin and his teammates will only have to come together and be among those teams that overachieve.
McHale stated that the Nets have a chance to surprise. He said that they will either be much better or much worse than the predictions. He added it will all depend on how they are going fight together and win more games than expected.
McHale Says Lin is a Much Better Player Now
McHale has coached Lin longer than anybody else in the NBA. He was the head coach of the Rockets when they temporarily picked up Lin off waivers in the 2011 preseason games. He was also the coach who gave Lin his first full-time starting role after the Linsanity days.
The retired basketball player said that Lin is a much better player now compared to the one who played for the Rockets two years ago. He said that Lin remains the aggressive and hardworking player he used to know, however, he has gotten much better since Linsanity days.
McHale commented that Lin is not afraid of the big shot. He added the Asian-American NBA player often plays very close to the reckless side, but it is the style of game that makes him a good player.
Lin & the Nets in the 2016-17 NBA Season
After signing a three-year $38-million deal with the Nets last summer, Lin will lead the roster in the 2016-17 NBA season. Although the 28-year-old point guard already experienced a starting role with the Rockets, the upcoming season will be his first time to take the lead role.
Lin came from a stellar season with the Charlotte Hornets where he averaged 11.7 points per game as backup point guard to Kemba Walker. He also recorded an average of 3.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 0.5 blocks and 0.7 steals per game for the bench role.
