It's pretty evident we're a better team when Lin is the primary ball handler.

Exactly if most nba players have the "potential" but not many become stars. Just look at all the draft pick busts throughout history. Numbers don't always go up. Stars are stars because they put up the stats consistently.

 

When you mean last year, it's actually only 35 games.
Still, small sample size. Don't get me wrong. I'm also a Lin fan, but it's just a completely meaningless comparison while Lin hasn't even played a full season yet.

If he really has the potential, he will show it in his game.

 

Well actually, they usually do as I point out in the statistical analysis in this thread...

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=230200

Lin SHOULD improve for the next 2 years because the vast majority of players improve between the ages of 24 and 26.

How much and what his maximal potential is, heck if I know, but I'd be willing to bet that he'll end up at Least above average, with a real shot to be significantly better.

How much better? Really, really hard to say...

 

It already started...the preemptive Lin All star articles....


This guy wants to change the rules for Lin...
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...r-life-unless-the-nba-fixes-the-voting-system


http://www.*****.net/houston-ready-allstars-jeremy-lin/10563/

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....likely-to-be-voted-in-as-an-all-star-starter/

 

One thing I'm excited about Lin's game is his improvement.

If you check back, he's really a different player from the day he entered the league. After he exploded in NY, the Golden State Warriors can't believe he improved that much during the lockout, otherwise they won't cut him I think.

And this year, we've already seen that his defense, decision making, passing, left hand, and TO issue, all got better than last season.

So there's no reason he won't continue improving in the following seasons unless a major injury happens.

 

Lin fans will compare his potential to all time greats and Lin haters will compare his current play. It's just not a fair comparison either way. But when you guys are using different perspectives then u will never see eye to eye.

 

Yeah and also all the teams fans who think their point guard is better than Lin. I'm pretty sure the kid will have a few arenas chanting overrated if he gets in for sure.

 

The sample is not that small. Thirty-five games is more than half of last season. Don't forget that Kyrie Irving was deemed worthy of the #1 pick after playing only 11 games in college; Cleveland was comfortable taking that risk. We have much more data than that on Lin, which should make us proportionally more comfortable.

What impresses me about Lin is the trend: he's matching Kidd last year AND this year.

 

Kidd is an interesting comparison. I watched Kidd's very first college practice live in Berkeley, so you can definitely say that I have followed his career over the last 20+ years. When I first saw Lin play in person in college, I immediately thought, this is the second coming of Kidd. My main concern for Lin (other than NBA teams bypassing him for the obvious reasons--which became true for awhile) was that he didn't have the reps playing PG since he was used as SG at Harvard.

 

What about Lin made you think he was the second coming of Kidd. Would appreciate some specifics. I am genuinely curious.

 

I do not see Lin becoming Kidd. He is not gonna pull someone's hair, I am pretty sure about it.

 

The fact that he could dominate and control the game from the small-guard position without scoring a point. Lin did not even hit double figures in scoring due to being double and triple teamed the entire game, but his passing was absolutely incredible even while he was swarmed. The thing that reminded me most of Kidd was his lightning quick feet and hands and anticipation, along with complete unselfishness. Any loose ball around him, Lin flat out got (whether he was credited with the steal or not). I just re-watched the Knicks-Rockets game, and Lin got his hands on at least 4 balls that would not otherwise have been steals for the Rockets, although I think he got credited for only 1 or 2. Kidd was the same way in college--he set the Cal career record for steals in only 2 seasons. There are other lightning quick guards of course, but the way that both are willing and know how and when to stick their noses in the middle of the action is something you can't teach (and I have played and coached, and I know that I couldn't even teach myself to do the same thing). These are critical possessions that can easily mean 6-12 points per game (swings from one side to the other), in addition to the momentum generated.

Lin also rebounded and even came out of nowhere to block shots from the weak side (I later found out he was the only division 1 player to be in the top 10 in his conference in a variety of categories, including blocks). He also finished the game off with clutch plays for the win, all while within the offense and never forcing anything.

 

Haha, you are right. Though sometimes I wish he would when he gets a cheap shot.

 

Nor drunk-driving.

 

your way of adjusting his stats to Kidd's based on usage is really flawed. I don't know how you adjusted his assists when usage rate is based on FTA, FGA, TOV and Minutes played. Plus like Durvasa said, you can't assume players to have the exact same efficient when they increase their attempts.

 

You know, I had exactly the same revelation, but it was during Linsanity. As I watched Lin play, I was telling myself, "This kid is Kidd!"

Lin's incredible passes, his total view of the halfcourt, his control of the tempo, his defense, his rebounding -- all reminded me of a young JKidd.

When I finally started looking at the numbers, I was not surprised at all to see that Lin's stats were similar.

 

lmao!

 

Good summary.

 

This is exactly the reason why Clutch imposed restrictions for newbies to start a new thread.

Nobody would have any objection letting Jeremy Lin handle your balls provided that Jeremy is willing to do so. Case closed.

 

I use "usage rate" as an estimate of how often the ball is in a player's hands. It's not perfect but I do not know of any better way to make that estimate.

Of course, points, assists, and turnovers are all highly sensitive to ball possession, which is why I scaled those numbers by usage rate. I think that's fair enough, and am not surprised that Lin's stats almost perfectly match Kidd's.