The Knicks began the 2011 NBA season in a desperate search for a point guard. Jeremy Lin began the year by getting waived. Twice. But all of a sudden, they've come together and become one of the biggest stories in the Association.
Quick Facts
- Name: Jeremy Lin
- Position: Point Guard
- Height: 6-3
- Weight: 200
- School: Harvard
- Birthdate: August 23, 1988
- Home Town: Palo Alto, CA
- Drafted: Undrafted, 2010 NBA Draft
Scouting Report
Strengths: Lin is a prototypical point guard. He has a quick first step, which enables him to split defenders and break down defenses, and he's able to keep his head up even when driving and find teammates on the move. Very skilled at running the pick and roll, and a good finisher off the dribble.
Weaknesses: His outside shot needs work, and he's clearly uncomfortable shooting from beyond 15-18 feet.
College
Despite a stellar high school career that earned Lin a spot on California's all-state squad, Lin received only
walk-on offers. He opted instead to take his game to Harvard; the Crimson offered him a guaranteed spot on the basketball team, but like all Ivy League schools, did not offer an athletic scholarship.
He had a very productive four-year career with the Crimson, and raised more than a few eyebrows by dropping 30 points against mighty Connecticut - in Hartford - as a senior. He was named a finalist for both the Bob Cousy and John Wooden awards.
He also earned a degree in economics, with a 3.1 overall GPA.
Professional Prospects
Lin worked out for several teams prior to the
2010 NBA Draft, but was not selected. He accepted an offer to play for the
Dallas Mavericks' summer league squad. A strong performance against
John Wall - the top overall pick in the 2010 draft - generated more buzz about Lin's potential, and is likely what earned him a contract offer from his hometown team, the
Golden State Warriors.
NBA Career
Lin spent his rookie year backing up Golden State's emerging star Stephen Curry, and spent time with both the Warriors and their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. But with the Warriors very deep in the backcourt and hoping to acquire DeAndre Jordan in free agency, the team waived Lin as training camps opened for the 2011-12 season. He was claimed by the Houston Rockets, but waived again to clear a roster spot for center Samuel Dalembert. After Knicks rookie Iman Shumpert sprained his knee in New York's season-opener, New York claimed Lin.
The Knicks opened the 2011-12 season very thin at the point guard position. After using the amnesty clause to waive Chauncey Billups (and sign center Tyson Chandler), New York signed veteran guard Baron Davis to fill the void. They planned to have Shumpert, Toney Douglas, Mike Bibby and others fill the void until Davis was ready to contribute, but none was up to the task. Lin was mostly limited to mop-up duty in blowouts.
But on February 4, 2011 against the New Jersey Nets, his role changed significantly. The Knicks were playing their third game in three nights and mired in an awful slump, and poor point guard play was having a major impact on the Knicks' marquee players, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. So embattled Knick coach Mike D'Antoni opted to give his little-used sub some run with the first team.
The move paid major dividends. Lin out-battled all-star guard Deron Williams for much of the game, finishing with a game-high 25 points and seven assists in just over 35 minutes of play. That performance earned him his first start as a pro, February 6th against the Utah Jazz. The Knicks would play that game without Stoudemire - who left the team after the sudden death of his older brother - and would lose Anthony in the first quarter to a groin injury. No matter; Lin led the team to another win, scoring 28 points and dishing out eight assists in the process. In his second start, against John Wall and the Washington Wizards, Lin posted his first double-double - 23 points and 10 assists - and led the Knicks to their third straight win.
Lin was the first player since LeBron James to score more than 20 points and hand out eight or more assists in each of his first two NBA starts.
Heritage
Lin's heritage is a big part of his story and his popularity. While there have been several Asian players in the NBA in recent years - most notably Houston Rocket all-star Yao Ming - there have been very few Asian-Americans. In fact, Lin is just the second in NBA history. The first was
Wat Misaka, a Japanese-American guard who played three games for the Knicks in 1947.
Lin's mother and father emigrated to the United States from Taiwan in the 70s. His maternal grandmother still lives in mainland China.
Lin has said he would consider playing for the Chinese national team - an interesting possibility, given the fact that Team China has long suffered from poor guard play.
The Harvard Connection
Lin's Harvard degree is also a big part of his story; he's just the fourth Crimson player to appear in an NBA game, and
the first since 1954.
The undrafted point guard with the Ivy League diploma just scored 38 points against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, leading the Knicks to their fourth straight win.