Armed with the knowledge that he'll have a bigger role with the Los Angeles Lakers than he had last year with the Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin isn't looking to replicate the days of "Linsanity" during his 2011-12 run with the New York Knicks.
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Lin was introduced as a Laker for the first time on Thursday after the team acquired him from Houston last week, and he wasn't looking to set the world on fire as he did in the 2011-12 campaign in the Big Apple, but that doesn't mean he isn't looking to make his stamp in another booming city, Los Angeles.
"I'm not trying to relive that banner season," Lin said Thursday during a news conference, according to ESPN. "I think that's been a big weight off my shoulders and I think that's very important for me as a player. I'm not trying to recreate a 'Linsanity.' I'm not trying to be that phenomenon that happened in New York. I think I just want to be myself more than ever."
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Lin met with Lakers brass last week and was told he will be given a greater role than the one he was given with the Rockets last season. Los Angeles knows the damage Lin can do as he dropped 38 points on them in at Madison Square Garden in February 2012 as a Knick.
Lin lost his starting point guard job last season to Patrick Beverley, but he set career-highs from the field by shooting 44.6 percent, including 35.8 percent from 3-point range and 82.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Lin believes he's improved from his time with the Knicks when he sent New York City and the sports world into a frenzy.
"I think from the minute that I stepped into Houston until now, I'm definitely a much more complete player and I learned how to do a lot of things that maybe I never had to do before, which was learning how to play off the ball, cutting and really challenging myself with some of the weaknesses that I've had to try to improve on," Lin said.
The Lakers traded the rights to Sergei Lishchuk along with cash considerations to the Rockets for Lin, a future first-round pick and a 2015 second-round pick. Lin, 25, will likely be the Lakers starting point guard due to the uncertainty surrounding 40-year-old Steve Nash, who played only 15 games last season due to injuries.
Lin is fine with any role on the Lakers this coming season.
"If you asked me, or I think if you asked any player, I think they'll believe that they're capable of starting," Lin said. "But I think if there's anything I've learned from this past year, it's really not that much about who starts. I think it's more about who finishes and how you play with the time that you're given."
Lin mentioned that he got in touch with Nash and Lakers team leader Kobe Bryant, who signed a two-year extension and wants to win a sixth championship before his career comes to a close.
Lin joins a Los Angeles franchise that has yet to find a coach after Mike D'Antoni's resignation as general manager Mitch Kupchak has taken a patient approach to finding the right hire, though Byron Scott remains the favorite after interviewing for the job three times.
The Lakers are looking to bounce back from a franchise-worst 27-55 record that kept them out of the postseason for the first time since 2005. Despite Bryant wanting a title and the Lakers looking to bounce back from a historically bad season, Lin isn't giving in to the pressure.
"To be honest," Lin said, "I feel the least amount of pressure on my shoulders now than I ever have."
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