Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin might have finally discovered his niche under head coach Byron Scott, as the former Harvard hotshot put up solid numbers in limited minutes to earn the nod as the best-performing Lakers player of the week by TWC Los Angeles.
The 26-year old Lin recorded 44 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds (at least 13 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds per contest) over three outings from January 5 to January 9.
The Asian-American star kicked off the week with a 14-point game in a lost game against Portland Trail Blazers 98-94 last Monday, and followed it up with a 12-point output in another defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers, 114-99.
Lin capped the week with an 18-point explosion to help the purple-and-gold win against the Orlando Magic 101-84. He shot 5-for-12 from the field and 5-for-10 from the charity stripe and added six assists, four steals and two blocks in 29 minutes of playing time.
It has been a roller-coaster of a season for the 26-year Lin, who was acquired by the Lakers along with a first-round pick in an off-season trade with the Houston Rockets.
Although losing the starting job to Ronnie Price after just first 20 games caught him off-guard, his solid output as of late only suggests that he's slowly buying into Scott's decision to put him in the lead of the Lakers' second unit.
Lin, who is playing the final year of his contract worth $15M ($8M against the payroll due to poison pill provision) is averaging at least 10 points and 4 assists per game this season. He has been mention several time as a potential trade chip for the Lakers because of his significantly large expiring contract, although there's the possibility he will wear the purple and gold jersey for the remainder of the season, giving the Lakers an additional $8M in cap space to make a run for an elite free-agent next summer.
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