Inexperience and youth get mixed up a lot. Irving and Knight are 21 year-old players. I do think this is a big year for Jeremy's development as a starter, but I don't think he's on the same development timeline as guys who started getting that experience at 19 and 20.
A mere B average, no doubt spent too much time goofing off at Harvard. On the other hand, an economics major with a $25m contract. He clearly understood the practical application of his coursework.
Does that mean we should expect him to develop more quickly as he is more mature, or more slowly because he is old and set in his ways?
Cliffs notes: My fans raised expectations to a level that was unfair to me because of my inexperience. I'm looking forward to having this time to develop myself and with this team. I've only said this a thousand times. Hopefully it sinks in with some people by now.
He went to Harvard, one of the most prestigious schools in the world, not some rundown Community College. Plus his extra curricular activity. You're such a troll Carl.
What would constitute positive growth and development of Lin? Last season, Lin averaged 13.4 points, 6.1 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals. Besides a bump in ppg to ~15, I don't expect a massive improvement in those numbers. IMHO, I expect three things without question: 1. 3pt% >.380 (If Mario Chalmers could bump his numbers from .318-.359 to .388-.409 during the championship runs, Lin can too) 2. TO< 2.5/g (dribbling into trouble should drop down considerably with experience and team familiarity) 3. Step up when the moment demands it. With the spotlight off of Lin, he has no excuse to deliver the critical pass, steal or shot. I'm not talking about moments like the brick against Miami; I'm talking about those expected lulls in games when Harden is unable to create and the defense becomes porous. 10.3ppg 5.5ast 5.5rb 1.1stl 2.4TO on .427 FG% and .355 3P% That is what Bobby Sura put up in his memorable run as the 3rd option behind TMac and Yao. Of course, we loved him for his bulldog mentality, and that is something Lin will never be. However, what I also remember him for is his ability to gel with the flow of the team offense and defense. He always seemed to know how to assert himself on the court with or without the ball. Lin not only has the ability, he needs to do this. Stop worrying about playing up to the contract you signed or linsanity or being an NBA icon. You belong to the Houston Rockets and your success and failure is entirely predicated upon how far this team goes and what you did to get us there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_inflation#Harvard_University Average GPA at Harvard = 3.48. Lin was a below average student who probably got in for marketing reasons. 3.1 GPA = B average = Asian F.
Lin talks the talk in this interview about seeing all the highs and lows and being even keeled due to it, but in reality, being balanced(mentally) is still his biggest hurdle. Remember, this is coming from a guy who admittedly was in tears and distraught over the prospect of playing less minutes and being replaced as a starter by his backup last season. That is putting way too much pressure on yourself and there is no way to succeed with that type of mentality. Some may argue that it is the coach's job to instill confidence in him, playing him more minutes and letting him close out games no matter what. At the end of the day, I believe that confidence has to come from within. Tony Parker had to deal with being benched and chewed out by his coach, and nearly traded for Jason Kidd, and eventually turned into a finals MVP. I like Lin as a player, and believe he is probably the most underrated player on the team. But, to reach his potential, his biggest obstacle now has nothing to do with his skill or athleticism or shooting. It is all in his head. Lin is obviously a proud and egotistical person, whether he wants to admit it or not. That is not a bad thing. On the contrary, they are necessities to becoming great at anything. However, he cannot let them consume him when things aren't going his way.
He's just screwing with everyone. Plus at Harvard, Im pretty sure you're either in Harvard because you're 4.0 super smart or you are in there because of your daddy's money and end up getting what they call a "Gentleman's C." 3.1 is much better than a "Gentleman's C." The dude is still smarter than most Smart-A#$'s on this board that's for sure.
what's strange is that in NYK he arguably had irrational confidence, whereas now he has irrational doubt
I can see how he could of lost confidence. Imagine coming back from knee surgery and knowing that you are not fully back to where you were before, fresh off of Linsanity, and playing like crap to start the season to the point where you were getting benched some games. I expect Lin to come back a lot more comfortable this year since he got a year of experience under his belt, returning to the same team for the first time in his career, and healthy.
He's had the same doubt in his time in NY and Golden State, playing scared and overthinking. Not very surprising when you have been on a short leash your entire career. Obviously he should have been given more of an opportunity earlier. Still, what he dealt with was not that out of line with what most rookies face, especially undrafted. The one time he had irrational confidence in NY was when the coach, team, and entire city/franchise pinned their hopes on him. That was obviously an irregular and dire circumstance. What we've learned is that Jeremy can and has excelled in those conditions, which is nice to know. But, if he has to depend on conditions like that, and those are the only circumstances that he can conjure up confidence in himself, then he is going to have a very hard time succeeding in the NBA. Personally, I am optimistic that it is part of the maturation process. Then again, I am biased.
It's not strange at all. There were quite a few moments last season when McHale would take Lin out of the game for extended stretches of the game for what is seemed like no reason. It looked very apparent that from the established positions last year, Lin definitely had the shortest leash. If I came off of knee surgery and had my development as an NBA player pushed to the wayside I would have second guessed myself a lot too.
It's always good news to hear that Jeremy is looking to get better. It will be interesting to see his improvement.