One of the biggest additions to the roster for the Los Angeles Lakers this past summer was point guard Jeremy Lin. The Lakers acquired Lin from the Houston Rockets for practically nothing, but he’ll be playing a considerable role on this team throughout the course of the 2014-15 NBA season.
— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Mamba Strikes Back” T-Shirts? —
With Steve Nash always being a question mark in terms of his health, head coach Byron Scott let it be known that Lin will be starting games at the point guard position from time to time, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
B. Scott on Jeremy Lin's role (1/2): "We just don't know, w/ Steve right now. So, Jeremy every game he knows he's probably going to play…"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 8, 2014
B. Soctt continued about Lin: "…but there's going to be games where he starts and has to play a lot more minutes."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 8, 2014
In Lin’s first game with the Lakers, the veteran point guard struggled to make an impact offensively finishing with only one point after going 0-for-6 from the floor. Fortunately, Lin’s presence was felt with his passing. Lin dished out a game-high 10 assists, helping the Lakers get the best of the Denver Nuggets in the first of eight preseason games.
Lin’s biggest strength over the past four seasons in the league has been his ability to get to the basket seemingly at will. The Harvard product averaged 12 or more points over the last three seasons with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets as the second or third option behind players like Carmelo Anthony, James Harden and Dwight Howard.
With Lin having a knack for scoring, the 26-year-old will likely help take the scoring load off Kobe Bryant in the backcourt during his first year in Los Angeles. Although Lin seems to be destined to come off the bench for Nash, the newcomer will definitely get considerable minutes under Coach Scott this season.
[divide]Jeremy Lin Talks Playing Off The Ball