The Jeremy Lin experience looks like it's not going to be ending any time soon. There's nothing I can write that hasn't already been written by someone a lot smarter and better than writing for me. I think it's sort of fitting that I'm writing this so late given that I was also late on him in fantasy basketball as well as believing that he can be a viable NBA starter.
And I'm not going to lie, this upsets me a little since I've thought that Lin would be able to play in the NBA since his 30 point explosion against UConn when he was at Harvard. I'll admit, I am a little bit of an NBA hipster.
Still, it seems like there are a lot of people coming out of the woodwork (Asian people, talking to you) who have all of a sudden become NBA/Knick fans and big believers in Lin as the next New York superstar. And I mean that's cool, obviously it's nice to have new fans. But whether new or old, Asian or...not Asian, it sort of seems like there are a lot of ideas of who or what Jeremy Lin is, was, and will be. He's only had a significant role for 6 games, a tiny sample size even in this shortened season, and there's really no way to predict what will happen next week, much less the rest of his career. Having said that, I think that I might be able to help sort out some misconceptions people might have about Lin.
So Jeremy Lin...
-Is a devout Christian.
This is one of the things I admire most about him. There are a lot of pro athletes and famous people who claim to believe in God, yet live with questionable morals. One of the biggest turnoffs people have towards Christianity these days is the hypocrisy of many professed believers. I'm really encouraged that despite all this sudden success and popularity, Lin doesn't hesitate in giving God the glory and making clear He's still the center of his life.
-Is Not a wronged, completely overlooked athlete who didn't get the chance he deserved until now.
Certainly Lin's making the most of his opportunity should be praised, however, it would be unfair to totally kill every other team for passing on him. He's a guy who struggled to earn minutes last year in Golden State not because he's Asian or went to Harvard, but because his play wasn't good enough. He was good, not great, at Harvard and good, not great, in the D League as well. I mean, people don't normally perform better against superior competition. It would be a mistake to attribute his success only to the opportunity he's been given as it totally ignores the hard work he's put in to improving his game.
-Is the only in-shape point guard on the Knicks roster.
Part of the reason Knicks fans love Lin so much, in my opinion, is because it's been a long time since they've had a competent player running the point. Toney Douglas and Iman Shumpert do not have Lin's vision and are much more suited to a scoring guard role. And the injured Baron Davis...look I don't want to say he's overweight, but I heard when he comes back he's going to see some minutes backing up Tyson Chandler at center. Just saying.
-Is Not a totally unselfish, timid, mistake-free (i.e. Asian) player.
Don't take this the wrong way. He often makes the right pass and is a very smart basketball player. I'm only trying to point out that this would be kind of silly and stereotypical to say given that since his breakout New Jersey game, he's attempted 14+ shots in every game and at least 20 in his past three. There are times he puts his head down and drives to the hoop without looking to his teammates. And while he's been making some great passes, his turnover rate has been extremely high (while only seeing significant minutes in six games, Lin is the only player who has turned the ball over eight times twice this season) Still, while he has his ball stopping moments, he's not nearly the black hole that Carmelo or Amare are. And as he's proved both in tonight's game winner and playing against Kobe, he doesn't back down against any challenge or opponent.
-Is extremely proficient at the pick and roll and an exceptional finisher.
This is, and has always been, his primary strength. According to Synergy Sports, nearly half (47.5%) of his plays are as the ball handler in a pick and roll situation and he averages 0.82 points per possession, good for 38th in the league. He's shooting just under 50%, largely due to the fact that he's taken 64.3% of his shots inside the paint, shooting 52.3% there. His shifty dribble and decisiveness get him to the rim and his toughness helps him finish (or draw a foul) when he gets there. The strength of his attack has allowed Lin to both create points for himself and others as once he gets to the rim, he's done a good job of either scoring a basket or finding an open teammate.
-Is Not a good shooter or elite athlete.
Despite his late game heroics tonight (As a sidenote, why do you take a 3 in a tie game? Don't you want to try to get an easier shot?), Lin's only shooting 36.4% from 20+ feet and 71% from the line over these past six games. And while he's clearly athletic enough to keep up with NBA competition, he doesn't possess the natural advantages that say, Russell Westbrook or Rajon Rondo have with their incredible explosiveness or freakish arm length and hand size respectively. The good news is shooting is something that can improve over time (exhibit A: Jason Kidd) and that so far, he seems smart enough to know how to use his own previously mentioned talents to overcome his relatively average physical tools.
But most importantly, Jeremy Lin
-Is a work in progress.
He's made great strides from last season already and there's no reason to believe he won't continue to do so. His teammates love him (see his handshake with Landry Fields and his 1,000,000 hugs with Jared Jeffries) and coach Mike D'Antoni seems willing to see how long he can ride the Lin wave. At the very least, Baron's return will lighten Lin's load. I don't know what it's like to be a Knicks fan, but with this six (and counting) game winning streak after a 8-15 start, it must seem like anything's possible. And right now it feels like the same is true for Jeremy Lin's career.
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