Can Jeremy Lin Succeed with the Rockets?

Last season, the talk of the NBA surprisingly wasn’t the Miami Heat, but it was Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks. When crunch time came by, they strolled down to South Beach and Linsanity got entirely seriously shut down while the Knicks got their butts whooped by the Heat themselves. It was worse than most people imagined, because not only did the Knicks suffer a confidence setback after that, it provided a pretty nice blueprint on how to stop Lin. Yes, not any team can shut him down — he is a fantastic player — but teams around the association really have the tools they need to slow him down…a lot. Now Lin is with the Houston Rockets, and he is having a somewhat decent season alongside All-Star James Harden. The Rockets are 5-7 as they host New York Friday night. Lin admits he isn’t satisfied with his performance. “They are playing really well and I’m not playing nearly as well as I wish I was. I’ve been exposed a lot early in the season and have a lot to work on. I’ve started 30 something games,” Lin said. “I’m young, it’s something I have to keep in my mind. I felt better before, it’s just a process.” This season, Lin has only shot about 33-percent, including the 22.9 from behind-the-arc. While he has cut down on his turnovers, he is only averaging 10.7 PPG in contrast to last season’s 19.6 PPG. Yes, I just mentioned it: teams have a blueprint as to slow him down, but there is something else to it than just that. Lin is now having to run the show in Houston. He has to make big-time decisions and he has to create some serious plays. Back in New York, he was just playing in Mike D’Antoni‘s system, a system where there are countless open looks on the floor for the team. It was a system where plays were already on the floor for you. Lin had so much spacing in New York, it was just nine more points-per-game easier for him over there. It’s not all his fault, but he does have room to improve. He can get his explosiveness back, but he needs time to mature. Like he said, he is young. He has a great basketball IQ. His decision-making will improve. Original article: Can Jeremy Lin Succeed with the Rockets?©2012 FootBasket. All Rights Reserved.The post Can Jeremy Lin Succeed with the Rockets? appeared first on FootBasket.