Lin makes the difference for the Knicks
February, 19, 2012
FEB 19
6:16
PM ET
Lin
Lin is the first player this season to reach those totals in a game and just the second Knicks player to do it since steals were first tracked in 1973-74.
The Elias Sports Bureau tells us that only four players since the NBA-ABA merger -- Bernard King, Shaquille O’Neal, Brandon Jennings and Michael Jordan -- have scored more points in their first eight career starts than Lin’s 200.
He also had seven turnovers -- six in the second half -- his sixth straight game with at least six turnovers, setting an NBA record (according to Elias).
Knicks With Jeremy Lin On/Off Court
This Season
On | Off | |
---|---|---|
FG pct | 48.0 | 41.4 |
Opp FG pct | 42.5 | 44.9 |
Pts per 48 mins | 102.0 | 91.7 |
Opp pts per 48 mins | 90.2 | 94.1 |
Score diff | +99 << | -55 |
>> Sunday vs Mavericks: +14 |
The Knicks are also much better in the paint with Lin on the court. This season their field-goal percentage in the paint is nearly seven percentage points higher with Lin on the court than off.
New York takes more than half of its shots (51 percent) and scores nearly half of its points (47 percent) in the paint when Lin is on the court, compared to just 43 and 40 percent, respectively, when he’s on the bench.
Sunday, the Knicks went 22-for-37 and scored 44 points in the paint with Lin on the floor.
Lin himself has attempted 64 percent of his field goals in the paint this season, the fifth-highest percentage by a guard (min. 100 FGA). He’s scored or assisted on 58 percent of the Knicks’ points in the paint when he’s been on the court.
In the past nine games, since first getting meaningful minutes, he’s averaging nearly 39 minutes per game, which would be second in the league if he qualified.
In the past eight games -- the first eight starts of his career -- he’s averaging 25.0 PPG and 9.5 APG. According to Elias, since the NBA began recording starts in 1970, Calvin Murphy for the 1970-71 San Diego Rockets is the only other player to average at least 10.0 PPG and 7.0 APG in the first eight starts of his career.
Notable Point Guards 1st 8 NBA Starts
Points | Assists | |
---|---|---|
Jeremy Lin | 200 | 76 |
Isiah Thomas | 184 | 51 |
Magic Johnson | 147 | 57 |
John Stockton | 80 | 82 |
None of them scored more points and John Stockton is the only one with more assists than Lin in the first eight starts of his career.