Jeremy Lin Focusing Hard on Defense, Looking To Become More Complete Player

Jeremy Lin won't let this upcoming season turn into another subpar campaign again. Less than two months before the start of the 2014-15 NBA season, Los Angeles Lakers point guard is working hard with other NBA veterans at Mo Williams Academy, as he looks to improve several aspect of his game - particularly on his perimeter defense.

After being traded by the Rockets to the Lakers in a cap-saving move this offseason, the 26-year old Lin enters the new chapter of his basketball career with a solid chance of getting a big role as a member of the purple-and-gold.

With the 40-year old Steve Nash trying to preserve his body, Lin is expected to get plenty of minutes from head coach Byron Scott as the Lakers' primarily ball hander.

The Asian-American star has been known as a good scorer with the ability rack up points inside the paint and from the perimeter. Last year, he averaged 12 points and 4 dimes per game in a backup role for the Rockets while he also gained a significant jump in field goal shooting (45 percent), three-point shooting (35 percent) and free-throws (82 percent). The big jump in his clip was viewed as the product of the grueling shooting exercises, which helped him refine his shooting mechanics last summer.

But despite his improvement in this area of his game, Lin is still criticized for not having the tools to contain explosive guards (Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving) on the defensive end of the floor. Ever since his rise in New York, the Harvard standout is considered as a liability on defense, prompting coaches to bench him for more feisty defenders like Patrick Beverley.

At Mo Williams Academy, Lin performed exercises to boost his lateral agility which is critical for him to guard quicker opponents. Perhaps, he's trying to become a more complete player by becoming a solid perimeter defender alongside backcourt mate and multiple All-Defensive team member Kobe Bryant.

Scott, who has been known for his pesky defense during his heydays, is confident Lin can become a better defensive player as he has shown in their previous matches.

"Defensively - the thing that I thought was going to his biggest downfall - was something that I thought he really competed at the times I coached against him," Scott said of Lin's defensive potential.

Lin will be playing for the final year of his three-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Rockets in 2012. If he ever wants to get another relevant paycheck, he has to prove he can be a high impact player for the Lakers. Perhaps, he needs to show it first as a defender.