by Christian Milcos
After being sidelined for nearly two months while nursing a hamstring injury, Jeremy Lin is finally active for the Brooklyn Nets. In only six games since returning to the rotation, his presence has already been felt in a big way.
Jeremy Lin made his triumphant return on Friday, February 24th against the Denver Nuggets. Kenny Atkinson appeared to have him on a tight, 15-minute-a-game playing time restriction in Denver and in the following matchup, against Golden State. However, Atkinson has loosened the leash on Lin’s minutes in the Nets’ last four games.
Lin is on track to play the least amount of games in a season his career. Besides this season, injuries have never been much of a factor in the 6-foot-3 guard’s seven-year career. Lin has yet to find a stable home in the NBA, as he has played stints in Golden State, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and Charlotte.
The 28-year-old has had limited time to implement Atkinson’s offense for the Nets this season. He has only played in 18 out of 62 games so far. Lin was able to work very closely with Atkinson when they both were with the Knicks in the 2011-12 season. This close relationship has been cited as a major deciding factor for Lin to sign a three-year, $36 million deal with Brooklyn last July.
The Nets have 20 games left in the 2016-17 season. In a year where they owe their first-round pick to the Celticsand have the worst record in the NBA, strong play from Lin down the stretch will be a seen as a rare bright spot. If the Harvard alum can continue having a profound effect on the Nets, combined with the rapid development of their young guns, Brooklyn has the potential to finish out the year respectably. Here is how Lin’s return makes a big difference on and off the court for the Nets.
On the Court
As previously mentioned, Lin is an ideal point guard to run Atkinson’s pace-and-space style offense. There is no doubt that the Nets’ coaching staff did not have Spencer Dinwiddie or Randy Foye at the top of their list of point guards to run this offense. Now that Lin is back and healthy, Atkinson will finally get to see his offense run more similarly to how it was envisioned going into this season. The small amount of times Lin has been healthy this season have shown that Atkinson’s offense can be quite entertaining to watch when run correctly.
The Nets’ spacing offensively has been noticeably better since Lin returned. This is in large part due to defenses having to respect him more as a finisher and a dynamic shooter. While Dinwiddie has proven to have a very high basketball IQ, he is still getting his sea legs as a consistent rotation player. He had only started once in his career before landing with the Nets this season. Dinwiddie and Isaiah Whitehead have shot 27.1 percent and 32.7 percent respectively from behind the arc for their careers. This fact alone demonstrates why Lin is drawing more attention from opposing defenses.
Lin’s presence on offense has a greater effect on the Nets as a unit. His ability to space the floor has allowed for other shooters to have more open looks. This is especially crucial in Atkinson’s three-point centric offense.
Off of passes from Lin, wings such as Joe Harris and Caris LeVert have shot much more efficiently. Harris connects on 54.5 percent of his threes off of Lin feeds, as opposed to only making 35.7 percent of his shots from the behind the arc off of passes from Dinwiddie this season. LeVert has found the bottom of the basket on an astounding 75 percent of his two-point field goals off of Lin passes, compared to only knocking down 44.4 percent after being set up by Dinwiddie.
While the Nets may not be winning at a high rate since Lin’s return, his ability to create efficient shots for his teammates is undeniable. With more time for players to feel each other out and perhaps a few free agent pickups this offseason who fit Atkinson mold, Lin’s overall effect on the team will translate into wins.
Off the Court
As a community, the Nets’ day-to-day operations appear to run more smoothly when Jeremy Lin is healthy. He has been the new regime’s biggest transaction by far. Without Lin on the floor donning the black-and-white, it was seemingly very difficult for the front office and coaching staff to fully commit to this new Nets organization.
It became clear that a load had been taken off the shoulders of every Net in Lin’s first game back. The constant questions about his timetable for a return must have been distracting and stressful after several weeks. Having a combined 6-38 record while Lin was out also likely played a big role in the Nets’ stresses. Losing, combined with pestering questions from the media, had to have taken a toll on the Nets during that time period, even if they didn’t necessarily show it to the public.
A huge marketing campaign for the Nets coming into this season was the “Brook-Lin” brand. With one half of this duo watching every game from the sidelines in a suit, it must have become degrading for the fans, and for the players, many of whom had just recently signed in Brooklyn with the prospect of playing with those two players being a pull factor.
It was very seldom that one could find a very optimistic and positive quote from a Nets player over the past few months. In the past week and half alone, it seems Atkinson’s guys have been speaking to the media in a way that has not been seen since preseason.
In an interview with Newsday, Trevor Booker had this to say on Lin’s return, “He’s been key to this team, to have him back means a lot for the team. He’s one of our leaders, so when he’s on the court, we’re definitely more confident, and I think it shows.” Brook Lopez also showed his gratitude for having Lin back in another interview with Newsday. “It’s so huge having him out there as a leader and a playmaker,” Lopez said. He does so much for our team and makes so many things easier. I think everyone agrees we absolutely were happy to see him back out there, no question.”
The outpouring of support shown for Lopez after he surpassed the 10,000 point mark was truly something to behold. Lin generated a string of positive responses from other Nets after posting a congratulatory photo for the center on Instagram after the Kings game. This camaraderie would perhaps have not been seen only a few weeks prior.
Conclusion
Lin is clearly one of the team’s biggest leaders, as he sets a good example off the court by consistently remaining positive and embracing the “Brooklyn Grit” spirit.
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