Lakers Roundtable: Jeremy Lin In Or Out Of Starting Lineup?
By Jacob Rude
Should Jeremy Lin be starting?
Matthew Patterson: Jeremy Lin should start. If he did not, Kobe would be on even more of an island, and would have WAY to much pressure on him to carry the scoring load. Lin has been struggling on offense, but is still a huge upgrade from Ronnie Price on that end. I believe that Lin will pick it up on the offensive end. Once Nick Young comes back, the bench will be much better.
Valerie Morales: I still have confidence in Jeremy Lin as a starter though it is shaky. He’s proven an ability to create for himself but not for others.
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Wes Johnson is dependent upon a Kendall Marshall-like play maker. So is Carlos Boozer. Lin’s annoying habit of either dribbling 10 seconds off the clock or passing it off once he crosses the half court line leaves the Lakers non-creators out to dry. He needs to look for them as his first option, his second option driving the ball and Kobe as his third option.
Kevin Sanchez: I don’t see another viable option for the Lakers. Who else is a starter caliber player on the team? Jeremy Lin has some major flaws, mainly his turnovers, but he is still the best option to have starting at point guard and it’s not even close. It’s great that he has started all five games so far, but I think he needs to get more than 28 minutes per game.
Jacob Rude: There’s a fair argument to be had for benching him, and not necessarily because of his play alone. Right now, it’s clear that Lin and Kobe Bryant‘s play styles clash. Splitting them up with Lin coming off the bench could solve that problem, and we saw how well Lin played off the bench in the preseason.
However, there isn’t a viable point guard to start ahead of him. Ronnie Price is below average at best. For now, play Lin and Bryant together and let them figure it out.