Jeremy Lin Plays A Season Low 14 Minutes

32 games into the season, the question remains: who is Jeremy Lin?

Against the Nuggets in Denver, Jeremy Lin played a season low 14 minutes. Lin’s struggles at the point guard position were highlighted by his fourth quarter. He inherited a double digit lead. Once he left the game, the lead had been reduced in half, in part, because of his inability to manage the offense. His defensive assignment- keep Nate Robinson in check- was a fail as well. Consequently, Kobe Bryant had to come back into the game. Ronnie Price took Lin’s place.

Dec 19, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin (17) shoots the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) defends at Staples Center. The Thunder won 104-103. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After the game was over, even though the Lakers had their second best road victory of the season, (winning in San Antonio in overtime is the standard bearer), Lin was morose.

We’ve come a long way in the Jeremy Lin, Los Angeles Lakers narrative. In training camp, there was the nostalgic hope that some form of Linsanity would resurface in this version of the Jeremy Lin resurrection. Then, in the first part of the season, Jeremy Lin was dogged with aggressiveness questions.

Once he was- unhappily- demoted to the bench, separated from Kobe Bryant, questions surfaced about his game as a whole. What does Jeremy Lin do on a consistent basis? Score? He averages 12 points a game. In his last fifteen games he has shot over 40% six times. He doesn’t change directions on his drives and is easy to defend at the rim. When he misses shots at the rim, he really misses. And he has added a new wrinkle. He complains to the refs all the time now.

Is he a playmaker? He doesn’t orchestrate the offense once he dribbles past half court. He reacts to what his teammates are doing instead of putting them in the position to make the offense run smoothly. His vision is average, often missing opportunities to hit his big guys when they are in the paint. He doesn’t have a cross court pass in his arsenal nor a bounce pass ala Kendall Marshall.

Is he tough enough? On the road Jeremy Lin underperforms. He shoots 37%, giving the Lakers 8 points a game which is 4 points fewer than his average. Against Denver, Lin didn’t score his first point until the fourth quarter. It was a crazy acrobatic flip shot that was lucky to go in.

When Byron Scott first made the move to start Ronnie Price and move Jeremy Lin to the bench, it was a peculiar decision. Lin is bigger and has more talent as an offensive player. But, Ronnie Price has been the better basketball player, the more well rounded and the tougher of the two. Price scored a career high 18 points against the Nuggets. But it is not Price’s offense that Byron has liked since the beginning of training camp. He is a gritty and tough defender who can create havoc and disruption among guards who are better than he is. He was responsible for Nate Robinson losing his cool and getting ejected.

Jeremy Lin admits he doesn’t play well when he is upset. He needs a peaceful aura to give the game everything he has. This latest stretch of mediocrity hasn’t dulled his confidence. He still believes in what he can do, in how he can affect the game. But so far, on this season, a third of which is complete, he hasn’t gotten any better. He hasn’t gotten any worse.

He’s just been Jeremy Lin, an average point guard.

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