Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin couldn't hide excitement to see former NBA MVPs Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash already working out days before the start of training camp, comparing the two future Hall of Famers to robots.
"Just to see them out there and playing in pickup is just refreshing," Lin told NBA insider Mark Medina of Inside SoCal. "It's been eye opening to see how Steve and Kobe are almost like robots in what they do.
Lin, who will be playing his first season for the purple-and-gold franchise, admitted that he's quite fascinated by the veterans' work ethic and laser-sharp focus which separate Kobe and Nash from the rest of the players at the Lakers' training facility in El Segundo, California.
"They know what they came here to do. They get it done, and then they leave. It's very detail oriented and very robotic and they don't mess around," said the 26-year old Lin, who was acquired by the Lakers after a trade with the Houston Rockets this summer.
Bryant and Nash missed majority of last season due to myriad of injuries. Kobe was sidelined for the first three months of the 2013-14 season to rehabilitate his surgically-repaired Achilles heel, but eventually sat out after six games due to left knee injury. Meanwhile, Nash played only 15 games because of persisting irritation in his back.
There are concerns that injuries could once again derail the season of these two ageing stars, but Lin thinks the other way around, believing Nash and Kobe are healthy enough to make a big impact throughout the 82-game regular-season campaign.
"They both look really good and really healthy," Lin told Medina. That's the biggest thing for us. Health is going to be a huge factor for us this upcoming season. They were moving well and looked much better than they did last year.
Lin recently promoted his Adidas shoe by signing autographs at a Foot Locker store in Westfield Mall at Culver City. The Asian-American star is playing in his final year of his three-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Rockets in 2012, which pay him around $15 million ($8 million against the cap) this season.
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