Jeremy Lin has had a couple of sub-par games to start the season. He doesn’t look comfortable on the floor. While he admits that he needs to find his role on the Laker team, the Jeremy Lin that we watched during the preseason was perfectly fine.
That’s the Jeremy Lin we do need.
So what’s different?
He has started the first two games. There were a lot of question marks during the preseason of whether or not he should start. There’s a very strong argument to start. He earned it. There’s a great counterargument to it as well. He was very effective coming off the bench during the preseason (video).
There’s a big difference when he starts the game. That difference is Kobe Bryant. We’re not blaming Kobe Bryant. His presence on the floor commands attention, just as he demands the basketball. When he’s on the floor, nine players watch him in isolation. He spent the summer studying Paul Pierce’s game. The drills are paying off. He scored 31 points in 27 minutes against the Suns, on 11 of 25 from the field. Statistically, that’s vintage Kobe. Currently, it’s not working well for the team. Kobe Bryant knows it, and goes out of his way to hand it off to teammates.
Jeremy Lin is at his best, at the top of the key, running a pick-and-roll play with proper spacing. Yes, that’s the play that led to “Linsanity.” That’s also the play that he thrives on the most. He attacks with great bursts of speed. He goes out of his way to deliver the pass to the roll-man. Defenders start to anticipate screens to the point where, they back off of Jeremy Lin. Lin pulls up. Swish. When he meets one defender at the hoop, he can convert.
That’s the Jeremy Lin we watched during the preseason. That was the guy who had 10 assists in his first preseason game off the bench. He had 4 assists to Ed Davis. He had 3 assists to Jordan Clarkson spotting up.
When he was more aggressive, it was easy for him to look for scoring.
Instead, he’s being overtly aggressive on the basketball floor. He’s forcing turnovers out there. The spacing he needs doesn’t exist. His speed is being met by a wall of defense. While his dribble-penetration draws contact in the paint and gets him to the free throw line, he’s having a tougher time finishing in the lane with defenses built around the hoop.
Something has to give. Oddly enough, that give may need to be from Kobe Bryant, off-the-ball. There are certain scenarios on the floor that are reminiscent of his days as a New York Knick, playing alongside Carmelo Anthony. Both Anthony and Kobe Bryant operated at the same spaces. Those spaces impede on the areas where Lin works best. Lin needs a knockdown perimeter shooter like Steve Novak at his wing.
While Lin is the most talented point guard on the team, it makes sense for him to start with the second unit. Ronnie Price isn’t the creative playmaker that Lin is. Kobe Bryant can relieve Price of that responsibility on the defensive end. Price’s defensive energy and tone is needed in the starting line up.
Jeremy Lin can come in with Ed Davis and Wayne Ellington or Jordan Clarkson. That’s his line up. He can be a focal point of the offense, execute the pick-and-roll, and get out in transition while hitting guys for open shots.
While one of Lin’s goals is to be in the starting line up, the idea is to win games. His role is more clearly defined when it comes off the bench. Besides, it’s not about who starts. It is about who finishes games. There’s no doubt that Lin will get the majority of minutes.
It’s time to use him in a winning fashion.
What do you guys think? Should the Lakers continue to start Jeremy Lin next to Kobe Bryant and have them figure it out? Or should they keep their identities separate until the fourth quarter. Please leave comments below.