As of right now, is Lin one of the worst starting PG's in the NBA?

Stupid poll. Lin isn't a point guard in this system as has been covered elsewhere numerous times on ClutchFans now. Last year, when Lin WAS a point guard, he had a top 40 PER and adjusted +/-. This year, in the handful of games he has played point guard, the two or several games of the season and the SAS game, his point guard play was near all-star caliber.

 

Houston is #2 offensive team next to OKC and nowhere close to #1 spot in the standing like OKC. Why is that? I'm going to repeat what I said here:
http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=232610&page=4
What people are doing is comparing racing cars to trucks. PG abilities should be judge by the team playing style. Which is offensive minded. It so happens that OKC is #1 in offense and standing. Perrrrrfect benchmark for these young Houston Rockets team.
So we need to compare JLin with Westbrook. If you pay attention to the stats both of them have poor TO% and FG%. Now you have to ask yourself why that is? Because the team offensive style. Where JLin needs to improve is his FG% even though it slightly better than Westbrook and 3P% which he is terrible at but Westbrook 3P% is not so good also. The difference from the two is JLin needs to shoot more!! His other stats are pretty much at par, mind you Westbrook plays approx 3min more than JLin so his other stats will be higher. Yet JLin STPG is higher with less min played...
This proves D and TO is not the real problem for Jlin when you compare him to Westbrook for an offensive minded team. The real issue is he needs to shoot more as a PG and the team D blows!!!
So why is this poor young PG struggling? McHale expects Jlin to play fast pace but yet benches him for TO. Yes there are some ugly TO but you gotta accept it. "Showing" its his fault by benching him kills his confidence and leadership role as a team PG. Mind you it will make him 2nd guess every time there is a quick transition opportunity. That is what is happening and we all can see it!!! If JLin TO% is within the confine of Westbrook that means he's doing alright for this type of playing style! He just needs to shoot more and improve his FG% and 3P%.

It's the rest of the team that needs to improve on their D.

 

I'm not a pro baller but as a fan of the game (not just Houston), I would say he needs to:

1. stay healthy

2. shoot the ball 8+ times/ game

3. more importantly, get to the FT line 8-10+ times/ a game (mastering a way to get a foul call is easier during the season than changing your shooting mechanics).

4. forget the 3 point shot (this season) / And1 = 3pts but at least secure the 2 pt even if you miss the FT. Just "efficient" math.

 

son should use da backboard more. keeps getting his shot blocc'd

 

No he's not, at least not based on what he is asked to do (and what he believes he should be doing). How do we know what he's asked to do? here's a very telling quote from Friedman article this moring:

“As a point guard, the last person that needs to get going is the point guard,” he said.

this is direct quote from jeremy. that's why we see him deferring so early on in games, taking 2-3 shots in one half, and doesn't get going until 2nd half, if he gets going at all. the more appropriate question is - is he doing a good job with what he is tasked to do? well, he says he thinks he's doing "okay" but can do better. i agree.

this whole "is he the worst PG" discussion is meaningless and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. we're comparing different pg's from different systems that are asked to do different things. if everyone is playing the same system then we have a valid comparison. now you can break down different aspects and compare little components of their games like 3pt shooting, passing ,etc. but that still doesn't say a whole lot about whether they're doing what they are tasked to do. yes, he can and should definitely work on his 3's. and can always improve on decision making in traffic which i think has improved from last year.

but the main struggle for jeremy, as of today, isn't so much related to confidence but rather learning to balance between his primary role of getting others going on offense while making sure he gets himself going. that's the reason for the indecision we're seeing sometimes.

 

LOL, @ 00rocketgirl voting yes.. That is a bad sign right there, one of the biggest homers in all of Rocket Land lost faith in Lin, ouch!!!!

 

i'm sorry, i didn't realize i'm not allowed to have my own opinion, 'bout to call a meeting with my LOF brethren to discuss the correct number of shots lin should be taking...

he's bricking like a mofo too

 

and yet he is still 6th in the entire league in points per shot. if you filter it out to players shooting at least 10 shots per game he is 3rd. I say he keeps doing what he's doing.

 

Sorta what I was referring to earlier.

What is Lin's TS% and what is Harden's? .... Also what kind of shots do they generally take? ... If you can't fathom how Harden is way more efficient than Lin, then there is no hope for you when it comes to comprehending anything basketball related.

 

To answer this question:

1. Lin is an average NBA player.
2. The PG position is incredibly deep at the moment, most teams have above-average NBA players starting at their 1.
3. Thus, Lin is a below-average starting NBA PG...and yes, one of the "worst" starting PGs in the NBA.

So Lin is not a net-negative player, but he is usually overmatched at his position due to the high-level of talent there.

 

My 2 cents here....I think lin needs to see one of the highly touted sports psychologists...seriously. Also, needs to find a new legitimate shooting and conditioning coaches who work at the top NBA/NFL/Etc levels. Time for him to cut the cord with his ineffective posse of coaches and trainers, etc. His loyalty to them will be his undoing.

My only question is this....how many ELITE PGs right now could have put up 38pts like he did against the spurs this year and pretty much take over that game? how many have EVER put up that many pts in their careers?

But his inconsistency does indeed put him near the bottom of the heap, for the moment that is. I am rooting for him, but some bench time might be the bitter medicine that he really needs to reassess his approach to the game.

 

I agree with this. I'd put Lin around 22-27th among starting PGs. Looking at that list, there is not many PGs that you can confidently say Lin is better than. He's a good prospect though so I have hope that he can improve. Who knows where he'll be come next season.

 

1. Don't even understand why that's a point
2. He needs to take good shots, I'd rather him take 8 good shots than 15 shots where half of them were bad contested jump shots. There shouldn't be any minimum he should just take what the defense gives him.
3. Yes he needs to get to the FT line more but it's going to be hard if he doesn't start making jump shots as every guard is going to go under every screen and every big is going to sag off and wait for him at the rim.
4. No no no, no matter what his percentage is he needs to keep taking 3s, this is the only way defenders are going to attempt to close out on him on the perimeter. This is going to help both with his And1s and FT attempts.

 

I am a big fan of Lin, but stats don't lie and the way the coaching is killing his play, I have to say yes he is one of the worst starting PGs in the NBA right now.

I think if Harden wasn't on the team, Jeremy's stats would be around 15-8, and people wouldn't be bashing him so much. He wouldn't be doubting so much, and perhaps the coaches would have had no choice but to give him the green light.

Jeremy can shoot, he just hasn't got the range to shoot at NBA 3. If he stopped and popped at the free throw line more, he would be scoring more and also making the PnR more effective, all of which it's a moot point, since it seems he has been forbidden to shoot mid range J's and has to shoot threes and corner threes. People forget Jeremy had a really good off the dribble mid range J, which he has barely used this season.

In some ways, this might be better for him. You know he's going to work even harder in the off season on his shooting and ultimately this will benefit his game greatly, I mean Jason Kidd couldn't shoot a lick at the start of his career and now look at his three point stat.

The only problem is, he isn't developing his PG game as much as he could have done, as the coaching for PG is piss poor.

 

This Jeremy Lin looks nothing like the Jeremy Lin we have now.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TiaUXVSyDZc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

agree, but apples to oranges.

the jeremy lin we have now was recovering from knee injury early on.

the jeremy line we have now is asked to do very different things, with very different teammate of very different abilities.

he went from #1 scoring option to #5. not that he can't score, but his priority as a PG on the rockets is totally different from his priority as a PG on the knicks.

"For Lin, then, the battle he most frequently fights is one of finding the right balance between making sure he gets himself going while simultaneously ensuring he is taking care of the point guard’s prime directive and spearheading his teammates’ scoring as well.

“As a point guard, the last person that needs to get going is the point guard,” he said."

 

Good post. I agree one hundred percent and I am definetly bias on T-jones but even if I am wrong about him being the best 4 option I wish he would just get a chance to prove it. He adds athleticism, rebounding, shot blocking and he is not afraid of contact. I wish the motor was consistent though.

 

so it's ok for him to brick shots just because his able to get to the FT line a lot? just because his TS% is higher than lin's those missed shots suddenly ain't hurting the team anymore? harden is in a shooting slump, and he needs to work on his FG%. so does lin. simple as that...

 

You're missing the fact that Harden has had many games with crazy efficiency where his point output has been way higher than what his shot output would indicate in part to his ability to get the line better than anyone..

Sure he's been in a slump of late, but he's still far more consistent than Lin.

Even when he doesn't have his best shooting night.. he contributes more.. the last game is a prime example... His missed shots don't hurt the team as much offensively as Lin's cuz he adds value to his ability as a scorer by getting to the line and knocking down more 3pt shots with more consistency not to mention he takes much more difficult shots and has a higher % overall.

This isn't even a discussion nor is their contribution even comparable... Harden is and will just fine... Lin on the otherhand... well we can hope.