Jan 25, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin (17) go for a loose ball in the second half of the game at Staples Center. Rockets won 99-87. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jeremy Lin was asked to reminisce about his time with the New York Knicks and it was the first time in a while he cracked a smile and seemed to experience pure joy for a moment.
With Jordan Clarkson as starting point guard, Lin has been coming off the bench, but is still plagued by inconsistent play and rarely finishes games. It’s a far cry from “Linsanity” that swept the nation for an 11-game stretch in 2012.
Lin’s success in New York was a “flash in the pan” moment under Mike D’Antoni. Linsanity was the perfect storm, a compelling story of cultural icon meets determination. The expectations skyrocketed for him during that 2-week span and it’s unfair for the public to judge him based on that small sample size.
Since then, he’s come back to Earth, switched jerseys twice, and the list of coaches/players who have overlooked him are: Carmelo Anthony, Kevin McHale, Dwight Howard, James Harden, Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant.
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Lin is smart for keeping his options open. He’s clearly not a part of the Lakers future plans and because of his expiring contract he could be dealt by the trade deadline.
Lin can be a serviceable backup point guard in the league on a team that possesses no superstars, such as the Atlanta Hawks, but he can also be a contributor to a playoff team needing an extra guard off the bench.
In many ways, Lin is a casualty of his own success. He’s proven the bright lights aren’t what prevents him from performing, but the system and “fit” is what determines his value. Since Lin isn’t a dominating or ego-driven athlete, a lot of his output depends on the personality and style of his teammates and coaches.
Coach Scott and McHale (Houston Rockets) were gritty, physical players in their days and that’s just not who Lin is. He thrived in D’Antoni’s system because it was an equal opportunity, fast-paced offense based on ball movement. In New York, once Anthony returned, Lin had a hard time fitting in. The same can be said with Howard in Houston and Bryant in L.A.
The NBA is an isolation-based, superstar driven league which is the opposite of Lin’s personality. Lin hasn’t shown an ability to adjust his style of play based on the system provided, so this offseason as a free agent, “fit” should be his #1 priority.
The Lin experiment hasn’t worked out in L.A., but he can survive in the league as long as the system around him is the right “fit.”