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Breaking down Jeremy Lin
TagsJeremy Lin, New York Knicks
US Presswire
By now the details of Jeremy Lin’s unexpected transformation
from being an undrafted non-entity to being an instant legend are well known
. Indeed, he capped his sudden emergence into greatness with a 38-point
explosion as the short-handed Knicks defeated the Lakers on Friday night –
New York’s fourth consecutive win since injuries and desperation forced
Mike D’Antoni to make Lin the team’s starting point guard.
So what exactly does this Asian-American with a Harvard education do? And is
there anything he can’t do?
OFFENSE
During the limited daylight Lin was given last season with the Warriors, he
seemed to demonstrate that his shooting was not up to snuff. In 29 games (
and 285 minutes) he shot only 38.9 percent including 1-5 from beyond the arc
. This perception was reinforced when Lin was only 3-15 from out there
before the Lakers game. But shooters need to have their numbers called in
order to develop and maintain their accuracy.
With Golden State, Lin averaged one shot for every 3.7 minutes of playing
time. During his five starts with the Knicks, the numbers are one shot every
2.1 minutes.
No surprise, then, that LA’s initial strategy was to go under every screen
and give Lin room enough to fire away from the outskirts – a strategy that
backfired when he bagged half of his four bonus-point shots.
So, too, after bricking his initial mid-range jumper, Lin converted 3-5 of
these, showing good form and a soft touch. It should be noted that all of
these shots were launched after he had dribbled and pulled going right.
More spectacular were his buckets in the paint. To get into the belly of the
defense, Lin employs swift crossovers (made even quicker because the ball
stays below the level of his knees), a sudden change-of-pace, tight spins
and extremely long strides. On one play that sent the crowd into delirium,
Lin made a right-to-left crossover, then executed a sideways jump back to
his right and finished the spectacular maneuver with a right-handed layup.
When Derek Fisher tried to play bump-and-bang defense, the savvy veteran was
unable to either derail or intimidate the 6-3, 200-pound Lin. Nor did the
shot-blocking presence of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol discourage Lin from
driving to the rim and using both sides of the rim to make a variety of
flippers and complicated layups.
US Presswire
In other words, the young man is an adept finisher.
He was 13-23 from the field, and never forced a shot.
Lin is also an alert and willing passer. In addition to the seven assists he
registered, nine other passes created uncontested (but misfired) shots for
his teammates. Like Ricky Rubio, another early season sensation, Lin’s
court-vision is extraordinary.
On the rare occasions when he was called upon to pass to a teammate who had
curled off a weakside screen, Lin’s delivery was perfect – hitting the
receiver’s shooting hand precisely at his release point.
That said, Lin’s stat line was also blighted with six turnovers. One of
these occurred when he recklessly tried to split a too-tight double team and
his dribble was tipped away. The rest came on a variety of ill-advised
passes, i.e., an overthrown lob, two reverse passes that wound up in the
stands, and two drop passes that were intercepted in heavy traffic.
It seems that as he gets more comfortable with starters’ minutes, Lin is
taking more chances with the ball. While this is as admirable as it is
inevitable, he needs to exercise a bit more discipline. At the same time, it
should be remembered that Lin is virtually a rookie.
Room for improvement
Staying connected to the floorboards when trying to complete pinpoint passes
among the trees. Becoming more of an attack-threat with his left hand.
Developing a pull-up jumper going left.
Given Lin’s intelligence, perseverance, and work ethic, all of these flaws
should be overcome as he gains more and more experience.
DEFENSE
He has quick hands and feet, and great anticipation. He can read passing
lanes and knows when to offer help and when to switch. The charge Lin took
late in the fourth quarter was instrumental in preventing the Lakers from
mounting a successful comeback.
Moreover, Lin closes out perimeter shooters in good fashion, and does an
adequate job when confronted with high screens.
Sometimes, though, he wandered too far from his man and was unable to get
back in touch when the Lakers moved the ball quickly.
Overall, Lin wasn’t the defensive liability that he was always presumed to
be.
Room for improvement
Although he can read defenses like a veteran, he sometimes misread offenses.
Again, this is easily correctible as he gains experience.
US PresswireEXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES
The Lakers had engaged in a hard-fought overtime victory the previous night
in Boston and were emotionally and physically drained. Bynum, for example,
tallied only three points in 35 minutes. Plus, before Kobe Bryant got his
chops up he missed ten of his initial eleven shots.
Also, neither Fisher nor Steve Blake look to score so Lin’s man-to-man
defense was never really challenged.
Plus, Lin controlled the ball much more than he would have if Amare
Stoudemire and/or Carmelo Anthony had been available.
PROGNOSIS
Overall, Lin’s performances in the four games he has started – against the
Lakers, Wizards, Jazz, and Nets – have been inspirational. In so doing, he
has rescued both the Knicks season and D’Antoni’s job.
However, just as the league has caught up with Rubio (by muscling him and
forcing him to shoot under pressure), adjustments will undoubtedly be made
to counter Lin. His right hand will be overplayed, he’ll have to prove that
he’s a consistent long-range shooter, bigs will position themselves to
protect both sides of the hoop when he drives, he will be attacked by shoot-
first point guards, and his screen/roll defense will also be explored.
Even so, Jeremy Lin has the skills, the basketball IQ and the opportunity to
eventually become a perennial All-Star. |
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