How can they improve #1: Jeremy Lin so, anyone who has spoken with me about trades for our fantasy league, knows that i seem to know a hell of alot about players beyond their stats. so i figured i might start a little series of players, and how they could improve in the NBA. if this is well received, i can do more. some may see the players of overrated, or underrated, thats purely subjective. anyways, lets get started! Jeremy Lin 63 200lbs (93kg) PG Alot of people say Lin is over-rated. i disagree 100% i think Lin is without a doubt one of the most underrated PGs in the NBA today. he went un-drafted in 2010, after the summer league, he was signed by GSW as nothing more than a backup-backup behind Curry and Ellis. he played quiet poorly. his ball handling was sub-par and his situational awareness was bad. he would pass the ball to nobody, and pass off open looks. i dont think that had anything to do with decision making though, i think it was a pure confidence issue. Lin played brilliantly for Harvard, and should have been a worthy late 1st mid 2nd round pick, easily. Eventually, Lin was waived so GSW could make an offer for DeAndre Jordan, a decision i cant argue with. you know how it goes. Lin was picked up by Houston, then waived again 2 weeks later to sign Dalembert. i still don understand why H-Town picked Lin up in the first place. he was behind Lowry, Dragic and even Flynn at the time. When the Knicks signed him in 2011, i cant disagree with their logic. Shumpert was injured, and they needed someone to cover them behind Sump/Bibby/Douglas. it was 2-3 days before the Knicks could waive him without penalty, that they finally decided to give him a run. he had 2 chances before they decided to waive him. again, you know how it goes. he played terrible against Boston, before lighting it up against Deron Williams (who was actually playing like an all-star) and the Nets. We all know about Linsanity, so i wont go into all of that, but the stats speak for itself. 22.5PPG and 8.9APG sure, alot of that came from the fact nobody knew about him, but in that time, journalists essentially warned Kobe Bryant and the Lakers about him, they ignored it, and he dropped 38 points on them. at the end of the season, the Knicks choose not to match the 3 year 25mill contract offered by the Rockets. anyways, lets look at his stats last year, and decide where he can improve 12.5PPG 4.4APG 4.4RPG to give you an idea, thats better than starting PGs like Chalmers, Beverley (who he was playing 2nd to at Houston) and on par with a player like Oladipo (statistically) Now, this is how do they improve? not lets look at a player So, how does Lin improve? 1. Ball handling: i think this is Lins biggest weakness, too often does he get the ball ripped from him on the drive, which limits his effectiveness. 2. Mentality: Lin knows he is good, but getting waived, not being signed, and not being taken seriously has caused him to doubt himself on plenty of occasions. during the times he doesnt doubt himself (look at Linsanity) he is almost unstoppable. if he trusts in his ability, he will excel as much as some of the best PGs in the game. 3. LIN NEEDS TO START: this is probably one of the most easily fixed things, and isnt something he can do himself really. When Lin starts, it boosts his confidence, and he plays like a man possessed. he proved this in 12/13 when he started all 82 games, and was able to drop 13PPG and 6APG. in short, if Lin can improve those 3 simple things, i could easily see him performing along the lines of someone like Kemba Walker, and average 17-20PPG and 6-8APG essentially, these 3 small changes could transform Linsanity into a regular occurrence. He has the skill, he has the ability, he just needs a small tweak.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 07:48:59 +0000
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