A little over two weeks after being signed by the Charlotte Hornets from the free agency, it is just too premature to say or even think that Jeremy Lin would be a better basketball player in his new team compared to his one-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers during the past NBA season.
But the huge number of supporters of the 26-year-old Harvard graduate really believe that a second coming of Linsanity is bound to come soon. Many believe that it would finally happen as the American-Taiwanese plays as a sixth man for the Charlotte Hornets.
It could be remembered that Jeremy Lin showcased his wares during a 17-game run while playing for the New York Knicks during the 2011-12 NBA season. The stint gave birth to Linsanity. He came off the bench then as the Knicks were without star forward Carmelo Anthony who was out with an injury.
With less pressure on him to deliver and hardly an expectation, Jeremy Lin exploded in the court and became an immediate sensation. Unfortunately, it was all just that – a momentary blip. Soon after, he went back to obscurity in the Knicks lineup as injured starters return to take their spots.
When he was subsequently taken in by the Houston Rockets for a three-year contract the following season, he hardly showed any semblance of the Linsanity that he became once known for in the Knicks. So when he was acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers on the third year of his contract earlier signed with the Rockets, Houston got a reprieve.
His one-year engagement with the Lakers saw him struggling all the more as he was groping for form all throughout, trying to fit into the team and meet the expectations of Kobe Bryant and Coach Byron Scott, especially for a player who was being paid $8.5 million a year.
Reliable sixth man
With a more palatable $4.3 million two-year contract signed with the Charlotte Hornets, Jeremy Lin has certainly relieved the pressure on himself and threw the monkey off his back.
Now, he can play his game without having to worry about Kobe Bryant asking him to prove his worth in court vis-à-vis his pricey contract or having to meet the high fan expectations over at LA.
Playing for Charlotte, he will be coming off the bench, which shall work well for his style of play. He can be the instant energy or offense off the bench the same way he did while playing for the Knicks four years ago, notes the Christian Today.
But it remains to be seen how well he could adapt to the system of Hornets head coach Steve Clifford or how well they can hit it off, which Jeremy was not able to do well with Byron Scott while donning the Lakers uniform.
Jeremy will also be sharing minutes with Hornets starting point guard Kemba Walker and if he can relieve him with quality playing minutes, he would be a formidable sixth man for the team and perhaps in the entire NBA because he can also score and create plays if he chooses to do so.
Optimistic of positive contribution
Jeremy Lin appears optimistic of making a positive contribution to the offense of the Charlotte Hornets, which finished with a 33-49 win-loss record in the past NBA season, notes the International Business Times.
The Hornets has poor offensive flow and very limited scoring options outside of Kemba Walker and center Al Jefferson. The team has also made several moves to boost its offense including the acquisition of Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lamb, and Spencer Hawes.
By throwing Jeremy Lin into the mix, he is obviously in the best position to provide an offensive spark and reduce the scoring burden off Walker and Jefferson. Things are now looking up for Jeremy Lin and with no pricey contract at the back of his mind to bother him, it is all up to him to deliver on what he is capable of delivering.
After officially signing with the Charlotte Hornets on July 9, Jeremy Lin took to Instagram and posted ‘Lets goooo! BuzzCity!’ referring to the sound hornets normally make. His post also comes with the logo of the Charlotte Hornets.
Jeremy Lin is a nice guy and an “below-average-NBA player.” Believe $4.2mil for his services for 2 years is generous when you factor his turnover-assist numbers. Lin is a feel good story, a story of persevering and obtaining an opportunity. All of us love these feel good stories, but at the end of the day…. Charlotte will discover, like Houston and Los Angeles… that nice guy’s turn the ball over at the most inopportune times in the NBA.
He is a below average player if you don’t use him right… He needs to be the number 1 option with PnR up the wazzu
which no teams will give him that option…
In Houston they gave him that option his first 2 games… And when harden went down for a few games 1 year..
Other than that I saw it in his 17 games in NY and that’s it
It is a cheap deal for Hornets who has nothing to lose. However, it is a big risk and an impatient move for Lin. If he cannot produce again regardless of any reason, his NBA career will be finished. Lin should have waited a little bit longer for other strong teams instead of choosing a weak one to join. Lin should have signed for one year with Hornets and the second year should be optional for him to decide.
Jeremy has proved lots of people wrong. After being coached by old cats like McHale and Byron Scott, he is coming to Charlotte with the coach upholding playing styles like the Warriors, the Mike Antonio’s understanding of how the game should be played.
There are so many people who couldn’t wait to tell one another Jeremy is not a star. On the contrary, statistics have been telling us that he has been steadily improving every year even with the worst adversity; Jeremy Lin has been wasted by his head coach.
The journey to Charlotte will revive people’s memory that when Lin is used in the right way. Let the people who are so busy comforting one another that fact is not true, what they saw couldn’t happen again. They have been wrong about Jeremy Lin because they don’t watch games, they just cut and paste comments from the sports writers who are doing exactly what they are doing.
The fact is Jeremy has been improving to be an all around player. His weaknesses are all disappeared but yet people still believe in the past and outdated scouting report. Even with the weaknesses in the past, Linsanity broke loose and gave unbelievable performance when he was used properly. Now Lin even when not used properly is a solid player. When he is used at his strength, he will be a star. That is why Lin haters so busy spreading out the words that Lin couldn’t be a star. They have all been proved wrong before Linsanity. Now they will be proved wrong again.
Lin will be a solid contributor. Averaging 15 pts, 5 assists.
limited time on court proportion to his limited contribution,simple math.
Lin has made considerable money with one ridiculous contract. He looks comfortable coming off the bench, and in free agency teams were not running to LA to acquire him. Appreciate his fan base but have seen blind adoration on his skills and ability. Not hate just an obvious evaluation of his talent in a skilled NBA