Article by Feigen http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2012/12/tony-parker-sees-similarites-with-lin-at-same-stage-of-career/ Of all the NBA point guards Jeremy Lin has studied, there are few he emulates quite as much as Spurs guard Tony Parker. The Rockets can only hope he can mimic Parker’s growth as well as he has so far. Through 83 career games, Lin has made 42.1 percent of his shots, averaging 9.4 points per game, in an average of 22.1 minutes per game. Through 83 career games, Parker made 42.1 percent of his shots, averaging 10.2 points per game in an average of 31.7 minutes. Both began their careers overlooked, though Parker was a late first-round pick. Both had explosive first steps off the dribble. Both had shaky outside shots that led opposing teams to attempt to clog the lane to force them to shoot from the perimeter. As with any comparison, there might be more differences than similarities, even if comparing Lin to Parker of a decade ago. But at least an informed observer of both thought Lin will develop in the ways Parker did. “His shot will come,” Parker said. “Me too. I couldn’t hit a shot at the beginning of my career. I was still able to go to the basket. His shot will improve. It will help, definitely, his game. Definitely. When I start making the outside jumper on a consistent basis, that’s when I was more consistent with my performance.” Lin was not about to compare himself to a point guard he called “elite”, but he did consider Parker a role model for a variety of reasons. “Just creating space, changing directions, using angles, floaters, his creativity in the lane,” Lin said. “He’s exceptional with his footwork. There’s a lot of things he does that people take for granted for how good he is. “I think he’s an elite point guard and someone I want to aspire to be in terms of how he leads his team to how he pushes the ball and makes plays.” When Parker began his career, however, he struggled with the balance between playmaking and scoring. Through 83 games, he averaged 4.7 assists. Playing about eight fewer minutes per game, Lin is averaging 4.5 assists in his career so far. “It’s his first full year,” Parker said. “There is a lot of attention on him. I think you have to be patient with his growth. When I first came into the league, I was a little raw. I was very aggressive. At the same time, I had to learn the point guard position and when to score, when to pass and try to find that happy middle, find the balance. I think Jeremy Lin is at that point. “He’s trying to find his position on the team. And he needs to fit with another guy who is very aggressive with James Harden. I had to do the same thing when I had Manu Ginobili being super aggressive. You have to find your spots. He will.”
So we can compare teen players who didn't do anything in their first year to Kobe now? Point is that this comparison is pointless until Lin starts matching some of what makes TP TP. Otherwise we can take any young PGs who can't shoot and compare them to Parker and act like they have a Finals MVP in their future.
Why not? All young players have a chance to succeed if they try hard. I don't have a problem with that.
Yea, it's more fun to trash our own players and compare them to busts. I don't know if Lin will get there offensively relative to Parker (shooting such a ridiculously high percentage, one of the all-time best finishers in the lane), but I already take Lin over Parker on defense and rebounding. In terms of passing, Lin is significantly ahead of Parker at this point in their careers, but the problem is that Lin had a later start.
Not all of them have players like Manu or Harden on their team. They need to figure out how to play with an aggressive SG and maintain their own efficiency at the same time.
Euro-stepping playmaker off the bench with a TS% over 0.600. Easy comparison to make. Lin to Parker? Not quite as clear, granted I didn't watch Parker's early career all that closely.
This article gives me deja vu. I remember Brooks was being compared to Parker a few years ago. Ah here we go http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=164763
Well Lin is certainly closer and more similar to Tony Parker than Aaron Brooks. I lold hard when Rockets fan compared Brooks to Parker. Brooks was a ball-stopping chucker that played no defense.
Hey everyone, there is one more similarity, well sort of similarity...Tony Parker got on People Magazine's Most Beautiful People in the World list, and Lin got on GQ. But anyway, damn that Parker. He sounds like a LOF! What with him making excuses for Lin and all that crap.
I compared their games last year. Lin had a really good floater last year, he could get in the lane with ease and was super quick. Plus, both were score first point guards (well, Lin was last year; this year, he's a pass-only point guard ). I really hope Lin can become even 80% of Parker in his career.
