Jeremy Lin News and 2016 Stats: Point Guard Not a Starter, Says NBA Analyst
NBA.com's Shaun Powell has some negative remarks about Jeremy Lin and his new role as starting point guard of the Brooklyn Nets. In his article, Powell wrote that Jeremy Lin "isn't the talent who took the city and the Knicks by storm a few years ago. Since then, he has fallen into a back-up level point guard who occasionally delivers starter-like flashes."
However, Powell said that Lin is a good addition to the Nets. For one, he was obtained with a price that was sensible, given his skills and potential that was shown during his Linsanity days. For another, the Nets badly need a player who can thrill their fans. The Nets have not had much success these past few seasons.
In fact, according to Sandy Mui of Nothing But Nets, Lin can be the leader to a team composed of younger players. At the very least, he has gathered enough experience during last season's playoffs, when they took the Miami Heat to seven games in a best-of-seven series before they eventually got eliminated.
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Lin was crucial in at least two of those games; in game 3, he scored 18 points, and in game 4, Lin had 21 points. When the team needed an offensive boost, Lin and Walker played together to form a formidable back court and provided some offense.
Jeremy Lin can generate the energy and excitement needed to make a difference to the Brooklyn Nets. He was signed to a 3-year, $36 million deal. With the Brooklyn Nets, Lin will play as a starting point guard, and head coach Kenny Atkinson specifically tasked him to focus more on being a facilitator than a hybrid point guard slash shooting guard. With the Hornets, Lin was comfortable playing backup PG to Kemba Walker. Starting with the Nets is a new challenge that the player willingly embraces.
Lin averaged 11.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3 assists per game last season.
What Lin can do to Bring Linsanity Back
If some experts are to be believed, Jeremy Lin will never go back to his Linsanity days; a stretch of games in New York when an unheralded, undrafted player posted record numbers and hit game winners against opponents the team had an improbable chance of winning against.
But according to Aaron Mah, Lin can bring a portion of that greatness in Brooklyn if he can do the following. First, play with pace and patience. That involves adding more variety to his game and choosing his spots; looking to create angles and utilize his quick footwork to attack off close-outs or shoot threes with an improved shooting stance.
With the Nets, Lin can take advantage of Brook Lopez and create pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop situations. Bogdan Bogdanovic can provide the necessary spacing as a threat from the outside.
Finally, Jeremy Lin needs to be confident, as he was during his Linsanity days, and bring to the Brooklyn Nets crowd the magic that he brought New York a few seasons ago.
