Jeremy Lin, once the talk of basketball during a red-hot stretch of play for the Knicks during the 2011-12 season, could be gearing up for another outbreak of “Linsanity.” The Hornets have lost forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the season because of shoulder surgery, thrusting Lin into a new role—starting shooting guard.
Lin is nominally a point guard, but throughout his NBA career he’s been known as a scorer more than a distributor. Following his initial run with the Knicks, Lin has settled into an off-the-bench scoring option for the Rockets and Lakers. Lin made his first start at shooting guard for Charlotte during a preseason game in Shangai on Wednesday, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Lin was perfect from deep, nailing all three of his 3-point attempts.
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"I was in the zone after the first 3-pointer went in, I felt all the shots would go in," Lin said after the game. "It was such a fun trip. I got to show my teammates China, my culture. . And we're excited to go home and get some rest."
Head coach Steve Clifford has been impressed with Lin so far, telling reporters “he plays great no matter what unit he plays with.” With Kidd-Gilchrist out, free agent signee Nic Batum will have to shift to small forward, leaving Lin to duke it out with disappointing former first-round pick Jeremy Lamb for the starting job.
Starting point guard Kemba Walker is not a traditional point guard, so Lin is likely a better fit alongside him, giving Charlotte additional, capable ball-handlers. Lin averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 assists as a Lakers reserve in 2014-15.
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