After another Steve Nash injury, it is reasonable to assume that we aren’t going to see a whole lot of the future Hall of Famer in the starting lineup this year. Whether it is a matter of health, or simply skill, Jeremy Lin is going to get the starting job at PG, and from a team standpoint, it is probably for the best.
At this point in his career, Nash has shown that he is NOT what is expected out of a starting point guard in today’s league. On the defensive end, a place he has never been above average, he struggles to keep opposing guards in front of him, and that itself is a big problem playing in the Western Conference.
Take a look at some of the Western Conference starting point guards: Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Ty Lawson, and Jrue Holiday. If we are expecting 39-year old Steve Nash to match up against any of these dynamic point guards, we are looking at a defense that will give up 115 points per game.
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But defense is not the only issue here. Steve Nash’s spectacular career has been based on his ability to make plays for others, and constantly knock down open jumpers.
As for the play making goes, Nash cannot get into the paint like he used to be able to. He struggles to get around his defender and get to the basket, something Lin will have no problem doing.
For instance, during the opening quarter against the Warriors last Sunday, I witnessed the worst 10 minutes of basketball I have ever watched as a Laker fan. A big part of that was Nash’s inability to create offense. He continuously tried to get around Stephen Curry (an average defender at best), but simply couldn’t, leading to contested shots late in the shot clock.
The current Lakers starting lineup has many issues, the two biggest being perimeter defense, and inability to create on offense. Inserting Lin into the starting lineup may just permanently fix these problems.
To start on the defensive end, Lin is not a little, but a whole lot better than Nash. Lin has the potential in fact, to be a decent defender, due to his quickness and athletic abilities. Lin has worked hard this off season on improving his foot work, so he can excel on both sides of the ball.
"@jlin7 via Instagram: This offseason I have been working really hard on my defense, footwork, and explosiveness. A huge component that I needed to work on is my core stability (having good posture being able to stay low in my defense stance, and being able to stay balanced while absorbing contact)."
Although he won’t be anything elite on D, he can put pressure on his opponent on the opposite end. Nash cannot put pressure on his opponent on either end, so after Curry would exert his energy on offense running around screens, he would get a rest on defense guarding Steve Nash. Lin will make any opponent work when guarding him, and he goes north and south, compared to Nash who really goes east and west now trying to get around a defender.
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What Lin will bring on offense is really what sets him apart from Steve Nash. Lin is an average shooter, but he exceptional at getting to the rack and collapsing the defense. This is exactly what the Lakers are missing in their starting lineup.
They need to put more pressure on the opposing defense, whether it is three point shooting, penetrating, or posting up. Those are the primary three ways to create offense, and good shots, something the Lakers could not get against Golden State on Sunday.
A starting lineup of Nash, Kobe Bryant, Wesley Johnson, Carlos Boozer, and Jordan Hill does not excel in any of those aspects. With Lin in the game, its a whole different story.
Unlike Nash, Lin can take his man to the basket, and set up his teammates for open jumpers. Nash still has elite court vision, don’t get me wrong, but he cannot draw a defense to create those open opportunities. Lin’s greatest aspect of his game is getting to the rack, and although he is not known as a “facilitator,” that could come with time.
Lin’s Laker debut against the Nuggets was a bit shaky. He went 0-6, but he did rack up 10 dimes. The next game as a starter, Lin went 4-4 with 14 point in just 21 minutes. We know that Lin can score, but he showed signs of being a facilitator and a play maker in that first game against Denver. If he can learn to consistently draw the defense and kick out to shooters and drop it down to the bigs, the Lakers’ offensive woes could be solved. Defense, that’s another story.
Now on the other hand, taking Lin off the bench into the starting lineup could hurt the second unit…a little. When healthy, a second unit including Nick Young, Xavier Henry, and Ryan Kelly should not have any problems creating offense. Young, coming off a career high 17.9 points per game, is instant offense.
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This year’s bench should finish top ten in scoring, but the starting lineup is a different story. The starting lineup has talent, but if they cannot get anybody to put pressure on the defense, we are going to see a lot of contested Bryant fadeaways. Bryant will still be an elite scorer in this league, but he is going to make his mark on the outside, hitting jumpers from 15-20 feet, not getting into the teeth of the defense.
Without penetration, Boozer and Bryant’s mid-range games won’t be effective enough to have an elite offense. Kobe is will still be their go-to scorer, but you cannot rely on a 36-year old to create offense every possession. Bryant also won’t draw nearly as many double teams as he is used too, and the same goes for Boozer. Boozer still has a solid mid-range jumper, but cannot draw much attention from a defense in the post anymore. As for Johnson and Hill, they are hustle players who should make their living on defense.
This is why Lin can be the X-factor for this year’s Laker team. If he can average in the 15 points, 6 assists per game range, we are looking at a high powered offense who can sneak into the playoffs.
This offense ran by Nash just is just not effective, because Nash can’t get into the paint and free up his teammates like he has always done. Look at the first 10 minutes of the Golden State game on Sunday, they scored 13 points, while Nash played a majority of the quarter running the offense.
As soon as Lin came in, the offense picked up, as he was getting into the paint, getting his teammates open shots. Lin is the missing piece in this Lakers starting lineup, and when you combine that with a healthy bench, hopefully the Lakers can just outscore their opponents all the way to the playoffs.