Jeremy Lin, who was brought by general manager Mitch Kupchack to help star player Kobe Bryant in scoring, has suddenly a big bulls-eye on his back after just four games into the season.
With the Lakers suffering their worst start in franchise history, many Lakers fans are already putting the blame on their new point guard for his inconsistency and struggle in running the offense for the purple-and-gold.
Averaging 9.0 points, 5.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds through four games this season, Lin hasn't been a big factor many thought he would be this season, especially with the amount of minutes he's receiving from head coach Byron Scott every game.
After recording seven points and six assists in season opener against the Rockets and miserable six-point and one-assist outing against the Phoenix Suns, Lin erupted for 17 points along with 9 assists in a hard-fought 118-1111 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Many thought his breakout game against the Clippers would be a sign of more Linsanity moments moving forward, but Lin instead went cold the next day as he recorded 0-for-6 from the field along with six points and six assists in a blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors.
In a Lakers team that direly need consistency at the point guard especially after Steve Nash's season-ending back injury, Lin's night-and-day performances has certainly drew the ire of many Lakers fans. Sadly, some of them believed Lin is nothing but a fools' gold who don't deserve to start for an NBA team.
Despite Bryant showing his pre-injury form, the Lakers just couldn't get over the hump against elite Western Conference teams like the Suns, Clippers, Warriors and Rockets.
Analysts believe talent-wise the Lakers are not a deep team following the injuries to Nick Young, Julius Randle and Nash, and Lin's inconsistency has been another setback for the team.
However, Bryant remains optimistic that Lin will be able to find his groove soon. The Black Mamba even admired Lin for waving him off in some crucial moments against the Clippers, stressing the Asian-American baller is certainly not a pushover.
“You have to be able to assert yourself, especially on a team that I’m playing on — especially on a team I’m playing on,” Bryant said of Lin in the post-game interview. “Because I don’t want chumps, I don’t want pushovers, and if you’re a chump and a pushover, I will run over you….
Then again, the pressure is on for Lin to perform. After all, he's earning around $15 million in the final year of his contract, making him the second highest-paid Laker behind Bryant's $23M deal.
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