I'd first like to thank God for Jeremy Lin

A New Age · Mar 14, 2014

torocan said: ↑

You shouldn't be, it's all about match ups.

Lin isn't as effective against teams with top shelf, athletic shot blockers (OKC or Indiana for example) as they can impair his ability to get to the rim. He does exceptionally well against teams without top flight shot blockers (like the Spurs or Chicago). This is also one of Harden's weaknesses (though to a lesser degree).

Lin also does very well against teams that are not great in transition defense as he's the best player on the team when it comes to pushing the ball. So very Fast, Athletic teams which are also LONG that can chase the ball down and get a hand in the passing lane also reduce his effectiveness (like the Clippers) in the open court.

So, against the Spurs, Bulls, GSW, Portland, etc Lin will slice and dice their half-court defense. Against slower teams like Memphis or the Bulls, Lin will carve them up in transition. Teams like OKC you'll get more middling results depending on defensive assignments (more effective if played with Harden as Harden draws more focus). And the Clippers are just a tough match up for the team all around (Long, athletic, fast, and able to single man defend Harden).

The key is McHale *should* understand how to match up on the floor properly in a way that's more nuanced that "big or small".

If you play OKC, you should ideally have Harden + Lin to drive the offense.
If you play the Spurs either Lin or Harden can still be effective.
If you play Memphis you pretty much *must* have Lin on the floor since Harden and Bev are erratic when it comes to pushing the ball in transition.
And against the Bulls, Lin should have been spending a LOT more time on the floor as soon as McHale saw that Harden was struggling.

All in all, just poor in-game adjustments, and that's going to haunt the Rockets when we hit the play offs.
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this makes a lot of sense to me, and I haven't seen it stated so clearly. good post.

oldyellow · Mar 14, 2014

Lin should be used as a sixth man, instead a sixth choice.

ada32 · Mar 15, 2014

torocan said: ↑

You shouldn't be, it's all about match ups.

Lin isn't as effective against teams with top shelf, athletic shot blockers (OKC or Indiana for example) as they can impair his ability to get to the rim. He does exceptionally well against teams without top flight shot blockers (like the Spurs or Chicago). This is also one of Harden's weaknesses (though to a lesser degree).

Lin also does very well against teams that are not great in transition defense as he's the best player on the team when it comes to pushing the ball. So very Fast, Athletic teams which are also LONG that can chase the ball down and get a hand in the passing lane also reduce his effectiveness (like the Clippers) in the open court.

So, against the Spurs, Bulls, GSW, Portland, etc Lin will slice and dice their half-court defense. Against slower teams like Memphis or the Bulls, Lin will carve them up in transition. Teams like OKC you'll get more middling results depending on defensive assignments (more effective if played with Harden as Harden draws more focus). And the Clippers are just a tough match up for the team all around (Long, athletic, fast, and able to single man defend Harden).

The key is McHale *should* understand how to match up on the floor properly in a way that's more nuanced that "big or small".

If you play OKC, you should ideally have Harden + Lin to drive the offense.
If you play the Spurs either Lin or Harden can still be effective.
If you play Memphis you pretty much *must* have Lin on the floor since Harden and Bev are erratic when it comes to pushing the ball in transition.
And against the Bulls, Lin should have been spending a LOT more time on the floor as soon as McHale saw that Harden was struggling.

All in all, just poor in-game adjustments, and that's going to haunt the Rockets when we hit the play offs.
Click to expand...

Great insight! Another classic Torocan post!

Nanisteru · Mar 21, 2014

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8v5qzalp1dc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterocke...port-lin-can-relate-to-asiks-dilemma-success/

For the second straight game, center Omer Asik started in place of Dwight Howard, who is out with an ankle injury.

And for the second straight night, Asik had a big impact as the Rockets defeated Minnesota 129-106 on Thursday at Toyota Center.

Asik finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots.

His teammate, guard Jeremy Lin, isn’t surprised. He played alongside Asik last year when the two started.

Lin said he is happy Asik wasn’t traded after early season rumors swirled about the big man’s fate in Houston.

“If we didn’t have him, we wouldn’t have a center,” Lin said. “Thankfully, he stayed with us past the trade deadline. He is a very big part of what we are trying to do.”
Lin, who comes off the bench this season, said he hopes Asik is seeing how important he is to the Rockets’ success.

“I am happy for him because I know what it’s like, what he is going through,” Lin said. “We both started last year and we are both coming off the bench this year, and I can relate to what he has gone through, so (it’s good) to see him playing really well, and he is a good friend of mine.”
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mig0s · Mar 21, 2014

^^
I hope jeremy understands that Dwight starts over Asik because he's simply a better player and a superstar. But Bev starts over Lin is not.because Bev is better, but it's because Bev is better suited with the starters who can create their own shots and Lin needs to be the spark off the bench and make plays for the second unit since he's a better play maker and a better offensive weapon compared to bev.

zdrav · Mar 21, 2014

Aww, Lin looks so happy. It really looks like all the Rockets are buying into the idea that winning a championship together is all that matters in the end.

tinman · Mar 21, 2014

zdrav said: ↑

Aww, Lin looks so happy. It really looks like all the Rockets are buying into the idea that winning a championship together is all that matters in the end.
Click to expand...

This is great news, maybe whatever stress he had about his basketball play is over.

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