Borderline, but based on 6 game sample he is all star caliber.
His star is on the rise.
Just going on what I have seen.
None of it is logical. Forget the Asian ancestry and Harvard thing. Just an undrafted player who gets waived twice playing at this level.
I think he's already proven to be a very very good player at his position and can get more efficient as time goes on. He's here to stay--hes going to be in double digits in both points and assists every night for a long time. His shooting will get better and he will continue to get his body stronger. Little more work on the left handed dribble so he can go that way more often--hes good and will get better. Im not talking about stats just his overall play.
one thing that hurts him from being on the all-start level is his turnovers.
He's borderline all star/solid starter. He can't go left, not the best shooter, turns the ball over. But he's got big massive stones and makes the right decisions when it counts. The pros outweigh the cons, but let's not pretend the cons don't exist.
Most likely somewhere in between "borderline all-star" and "solid starter." People overestimate the value of small samples, though. He could still become anything from Kevin Maas to Derek Jeter.
Solid Starter/Borderline All Star for me. Like others mentioned, the turnovers have to kept down to get to the next level. Hopefully, a solid offseason of training and further mastery of the offense will lead to a more manageable Assist/Turnover ratio, better FT %, ability to go left, etc.
He looks like he will grow and mature into a bona fide starting all-star, but the sample size thus far is not adequate to answer the question. Still, unlimited ceiling.
Good enough to inspire a crazy premature poll that includes Hall of Fame after his
FIFTH career atart.
Lin is a baby.
yellowboy90 wrote:one thing that hurts him from being on the all-start level is his turnovers.
Just to have some perpective.
Lin is at 4.6 this month (where he really got his time). His per 40 is much lower. He had some terrible stretches (like 3 TO's in 2 minutes) and I expect the anomalies to go away as he gains experience.
Lebron James averages 4 TO's per game. Who handles the ball more, him or Lin? Lin and it's probably not close.
Dwayne Wades career average is 3.6 but he is lower this year.
Steve Nash is at 3.6 this year and look at his teams record.
John Wooden (I believe) said TO's are very misleading.
That said, I think Lin does need to bring them down to the 3 or 4 area and I think once his minutes go down and he gets more experience they will come down. Understand, teams are trying everything they can to stop him, planning for him, throwing double teams at him, and he is still going.
I think Lin has the chance to definitely be an all star - I mean if he averages 15 and 12, which I think he will and maybe more on the assist side when Melo is back, that is an all star. It will depend a lot on how this team plays too. Beyond that, time will tell but he has the skill, clearly, to go much further (at least in this type of system.)
I wouldn't trade Lin for Derrick Rose. I would not trade him for LeBron. I would consider trading him for Kobe.
nehemiah wrote:I wouldn't trade Lin for Derrick Rose. I would not trade him for LeBron. I would consider trading him for Kobe.
Maybe if we had a time machine for the Kobe 8-10 years ago.
Lin looks super after 6 big games - but take some caution, we've seen strong starts from other guards before.
Remember Jennings' strong play highlighted by his 40+ game in his rookie year? he's a career sub-40% shooter after 2+ seasons and hasn't emerged as a huge assist guy (peaked at 5.7 apg as a rookie). At 18.4ppg/5.3apg in year 3, he's still a rising star. To be clear, Jeremy Lin is a year older.
On a more contemporary basis, take a look at Rick Rubio's game log.
After about 10 games, Rubio was a lights out shooter, averaging ~50% from the field and 3pt range. After becoming a starter (and 30 games into the season), his scoring and assist numbers have not changed dramatically in spite of 10 more mpg playing time. His shooting fell off the map, averaging 37% from the field, 33% from 3pt range.
With all that said (and particularly under the tutelage of D'Antoni), he has the right coach and system to succeed.
As an aside... how does the Lin of today compare with Stephen Curry? Curry is clearly a better shooter... but is Lin a better PG?
he definitely needs to work on going left in the off season. Thats where the majority of the turnovers are coming from. I'm actually surprised with his ability to take a hit and finish at the rim. He clearly worked on strengthening his upper body. His shot has also been better than advertised. He clearly worked on his shooting as well. Lin shump & fields if they continue to work on their deficiencies we are going to have a great team for a long time. Great supporting cast as opposed to Miami's
gunsnewing,
Good point. And though I probably overestimate Lin, I will agree there are things he needs to improve on: free throws, perimeter shooting (though he's better than most think), going left (though I believe this is an exaggerated weakness).
But Lin is the kinda guy where the sum of his skills is not all to who he is. He may make many mistakes, but there may not be anyone better out there who will help you find a way to win. I think we would have lost to Minn and last pm if it were not for Lin down the stretch. That is HUGE. I think in the playoffs, he will do even more to get the win. He is a special special player.
How special? John Starks is my second favorite player of all time now. That's pretty special.
I'm going to be cautious about Lin for the rest of the season, but that's just the way I am- I hate being unexpectedly disappointed. But I really hope he keeps this up.
