Jeremy Lin: The Best Laker Field Goal Shooter (video)
By Mike Garcia
Jeremy Lin is the best field goal shooter on the team. Think about the title. Jeremy Lin? As the best field goal shooter? Don’t just think of it as the highest percentage. Think of it as his shooting percentage from different areas on the floor.
Think of it as his shooting percentage from different areas on the floor.
Let’s look at the other Laker players.
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Kobe Bryant can create every kind of shot possible, but seems to shoot the same 30%-40% everywhere on the floor. He hasn’t gained back his full explosiveness from a few years back, and that only hurts his finishing ability in the paint. Instead of exploding up for a dunk, he’s trying to weasel his way through defenders and at times, gets caught in traffic.
Ed Davis is the best overall field goal shooter on the team. But, that shouldn’t be a surprise. He takes all of his shots in the paint. I’d argue that half of his shot makes are in transition.
What about Wayne Ellington? Well, he’s easily the best perimeter shooter on the team, but his abilities, or lackthereof, inside the 18′ mark take away from his efficiency. He’s a pure jumpshooter, but simply isn’t comfortable creating a variety of shots in the paint. Give him credit though. When he attacks, he usually converts a solid layup. There’s not much inbetween.
Then there’s Jeremy Lin. Essentially, he has three shots in his arsenal. He attacks the basket with speed on either side of the hoop and is able to finish well. He easily gets 4-6 points in the paint every game. When that isn’t working, he’s solid behind the arc. When he doesn’t hesitate and the offensive unit has a good rhythm to it, he’ll make the shot easily. But, outside of layups and three-point shots, Lin has one more shot in his arsenal. There are times when the defense rotates on dribble penetration and forces Lin to back off. Sure, he’ll back off and use his pivot feet, but he’ll gather himself up for a short 12′ fadeaway shot in the painted area.
Those three shots are what Lin is most comfortable with. They are polished within his shooting arsenal.
Lin has his best games at home. Up until the game against the Hornets, he averaged 15.8 points per game. On the road, it’s a different story. He averages a measley 6 points per game. He hears the noise. He feels the momentum. He gets the rhythm. That rhythm, along with his basketball IQ and speed on the basketball floor, can make for dynamic offensive play. It worked perfectly against the Hornets to the tune of 21 points on 8 of 12 from the field, 3 of 6 behind the arc, with 7 assists and 1 turnover.
We just need consistency on the road. Once that happens, we’re looking at the best offensive point guard on the Laker team since Nick Van Exel.
The last time I saw him yell like that after a made shot, it was during Linsanity.