After 13 games into his Los Angeles Lakers career, point guard Jeremy Lin might have already realized that sharing the same backcourt with Kobe Bryant is more of a curse than a gift.
Lin kicked off the 2014-15 NBA season with a goal of reviving his career after two rough seasons with the Houston Rockets. As a starter for the purple-and-gold, the Asian American star averaged at least 11.8 points and 4.8 assists in 30 minutes of actions per game.
His statistical numbers are quite similar to his production in his final year with the Rockets, though difference now is he's not anymore playing for a legit title contender but for a Lakers team that already lost 10 of their last 13 games.
Without a doubt, the struggle is real for the 26-year old Lin, and it seems the spate of frustrations has just begun.
Blame it on the Mamba!
While it's true that Lin isn't the type of playmaker that can produce double-double stats every night, the former Harvard standout is nevertheless skillful enough to make a big impact on the floor.
During the 'Linsanity era' in New York and some moments in Houston, Lin proved that he could put the ball into the basket in various ways, and at the same time, create scoring opportunities for his teammates especially off pick-and-roll plays.
On the other hand, his career also showed that he's less effective when playing alongside ball-dominant winger like Carmelo Anthony with the Knicks, James Harden with the Rockets and now Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Similar to what he experienced with Melo and James, Lin often turned into a mere spectator as he painfully watched Bryant hurl bundle of low-percentage shots every game. His true abilities as a scorer and a ball distributor are all being undermined by the overwhelming presence of Bryant. The sad part is Lin is very much aware of it, but couldn't do a thing to stop Bryant's 'shooting spree.'
The game of basketball is ... we've got to do it together," Lin told ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes after the Lakers' blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors last week. "It can't be ... if I go into a game concerned about myself, then in some ways that's detrimental to the team. ... There's so many things wrong right now. At the top of the list, I would say communication, trust and effort."
Lin, who is in the final year of his current contract, might not play for the Lakers beyond this season as the franchise openly express its desire to upgrade the point guard position in next summer's free-agency. However, if there's one reality he quickly realized after the first 13 games in Lakers uniform, then it must be that playing with snakes is always regretting.
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