Yeah, I agree Harden should have the ball more than most SGs because of his play making skills. But keep in mind a lot of Lin's possession time is spent bringing the ball up court. What this means is that he has very little time to actually create with the ball in his hands. When you are dealing with a player like Lin who is most comfortable when they can control the ball, this is not a small thing. Just to provide some more numbers. As mentioned, Lin has possession of the ball 1/8 of his PT. The following players have possession over 1/5 of their PT: Chris Paul, John Wall, Kemba Walker, Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Mike Conley, Isaiah Thomas, Tony Parker.
ALL these #'s really show us is that the PG's bring the ball up the court much more often than Harden. That being said, I don't see Harden as a ball hog overall. He's had his moments, but when he's playing his best, he looks to get others involved for the most part. Sometimes, not just Lin, but EVERYONE not named Harden look like they're reluctant to take the shot or make a play when Harden is out there with them. This happens all too often when they are coming from behind and should be addressed. They all need to trust each other/themselves more in those situations.
I see what you saying. Before that knee injury, Lin's PnR efficiency was through the roof (#2 in the NBA), he fell off since, but PnR is generally considered to be his main strength. The thing is-he runs PnR less than any other PG in NBA, even Mario Chalmers.
No. When Harden wasn't on the floor, Lin isn't the primary playmaker. That's the main problem here. Parsons handles the ball after 1st quarter with the bench. Beverley handles the ball after 3rd quarter ended. Brooks handles the ball during garbage time. Lin was always a spot up shooter when Harden took a rest.
My thoughts exactly. Also I'd like to see him stats after a few weeks worth of games as him as the #1 option when teams prepare their gameplan around stopping him. Last night, it was obvious that the two guys Pop was keying in on stopping were Howard and Parsons, and we see how tough life was for them last night. I dont think Harden & Howard get enough credit for doing what they do with every team every night gameplanning against stopping them. Its not as easy as they make it look. I do think though his role as a 6th man will be dramatically different when/if Asik returns. Right now as the #1 scoring option off the bench he is pretty limited in what he has working with them in that unit. Asik is a great screen setter, and while he's a poor finisher, really rolls to the rim very well. However I'm not entirely sure this team will ever have a fully healthy roster to accommodate for such luxuries. Its nice though to have a player like Lin who can fill in different ways when a backcourt player goes down for an extended period of time. Having a playmaker off the bench in this league isn't a bonus, its a necessity to be able to withstand an 82 game season.
I wasn't addressing Lin efficiency in the PnR. I was pointing out that a statement that said that last night proved that he was "ridiculously" good in the PnR was a pretty big exaggeration.
Yet Lin possesses the ball more per minute played than Harden, Parsons or Beverly. How's that possible if he's "always a spot up shooter"? He's handling the ball, just not every possession...nobody on the Rockets is.
McHale doesn't know how to use Lin. I don't think any of the coaches do. I said it before, but Lin is like broccoli to them... something they don't like, but know is good for them. That's as tangible as it gets.
You bring up a great point. Lin to me has always been best when paired with Asik and shooters around. So a 2nd unit of Lin-Grcia-Casspi-DMO-Asik would be deadly at least on paper. Similar to when it was Lin-Chandler and shooters around. Asik sets really good hard screens as seen last season and then rolls to the rim. He has issues catching the ball but that's well documented. Asik's screens allow Lin to be aggressive and attack the rim looking to score and if no one is there kick it out to the shooters.
As said by another poster, doesn't show if it's in the front court or back court. As often Lin dribbles to the front court and passes it off.
We need a spot up shooter at the SG who can nail open 3s to play off the bench with Lin. Lee would have been a great fit if not for his awful contract. Maybe Marrow is available?
It will most certainly be interesting to see Lin play under another system where he gets the command more. However, that won't seem to happen until he gets traded or leaves as a free agent, which is probably another year away. Can we at least run the fast breaks more through him in the mean time? You all have to agree that it is better than players like Casspi or TJ taking it on their own.
Lin is Harden's backup at SG. he's inferior ot Harden at SG. Ergo he sits. This isn't hard to figure. Unless you're a LOF.
1. I wonder how these stats look depending on where in the shot clock you are. Typically, Lin will possess the ball in the first 5-10 seconds of the shot clock dribbling the ball from the backcourt to frontcourt (although not always since we have like 10 people playing PG). This may count as possession time but is useless most of the time unless it's a fast break. 2. Harden plays 40 minutes/game so there's only 8 minutes tops that Lin will not be playing with him if Lin comes off the bench. The issue is NOT whether Lin comes off the bench or starts, it's how aggressive he plays when he's on the court. It's unclear to me whether he's passive and defers because he was instructed to do so by coaches, because he naturally defers to Harden without instruction, or because Harden informally imposes his ball dominant ways. 3. Whether Lin starts or comes off the bench, he will not be effective unless he has full rein as PG.
If you're a true Rockets fan, you make excuses for no one. Not Asik, not Lin, not Harden, not Chandler, not Howard. Every player has his weaknesses: Howard: Goes on FT droughts - You shoot 80%+ in practice, no reason you can't hit at least 65%+ in game. Asik: Attitude problems about role on team - get over yourself and be the professional Houston is paying you to be Chandler: Defensive effort has gone down the drain - contract year, you owe it to yourself to show that you are a two-way player Harden: No defensive effort whatsoever in games - in no way are you any less athletic or have lower stamina than a guy like Aaron Afflalo or current Dwyane Wade. If you really want to be one of the great SGs, which you have the tools to be, you need to look at what guys like Kobe and Jordan have done with their defense. Lin: Way too reckless when trying to force himself into the paint. If nothing is there, dribble out and try again. By just not jumping in the air with no intended target, you would be average one full less turnover per game. If these guys were to just do these things, we're a lock for a championship. Beverly: Can't
There is no argument to be had here. Anyone that denies that Lin can be a great player as the ball-dominant guard is a hater and doesn't watch the games. That's Lin's game, he is essentially Harden-lite. 19 and 8 are All-Star numbers. His game shouldn't and isn't a ball-watching, sit-on-the-3-line player. But another fact to be recognized is that Harden is a much better player, and deserves more playtime and important minutes than Lin. Better scorer, threat, leader, driver, shooter. Put these two facts together and what makes sense for Lin, Harden, and most importantly, the TEAM: Lin as 6th man. He can get a solid 10 minutes where Harden isn't on the floor, he can lead the 2nd unit, and be the punch off the bench this team sorely needs.
part of being a great player is learning to adjust. So basically, Lin only does really well when he is dominating the ball, which is why he comes off the bench right now.
Yet we continually get complaints that Lin doesn't get to bring the ball up the floor and that he doesn't get to play PG. Now it seems that you are claiming that he brings the ball up every time. So which is it? He can't be bringing the ball up the court every time in one case and playing off the ball as a spot up shooter in another. Lin has more front court touches that Harden per minute played. So, unless you believe that Lin has been told to not make plays then he's got the opportunities. Harden, Lin, Beverley, Parsons, Brooks, Casspi and Jones all bring the ball up the court.
The real reason Lin has been about average this season is the absence of Asik and Smith from the second unit. With Jones and Howard on the court with Lin they occupy the paint, which eliminates the one on one driving lane that Lin thrives on. Last year with Asik/Smith and a stretch four (Parsons/Delfino/Patterson/Morris) Lin has a clear paint to drive and shoot or kick to corner 3's. I think this was the Rockets ultimate plan for this team. Let Harden, Bev and Howard operate as one team and then let Lin, Asik, Garcia and Casspi operate as the second team. Then mismatch during the game depending on who is playing well. Ultimately its hard to judge this team with so many injuries and 30 wins so far is a pretty great with this amount of injuries.
