Jeremy Lin has been putting up good numbers after the All-Star break, averaging 11.4 points and 4.2 assists in the month of February. However, it's yet to be seen whether the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in retaining his service this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free-agent. And according to several basketball insiders, Lin's playing days with the purple-and-gold are more likely numbered.
With his current contract expiring at the end of the season, Lin is facing an offseason full of uncertainty. After two seasons in Houston, the former Harvard star player along with a first-round pick was sent by the Rockets in a salary-dump move to the Lakers in exchange for virtually nothing.
Lin had high expectation that his move to Los Angeles would allow him to reach his full potential, but after starting for 20 games, his dream of reviving Linsanity in the City of Angels came crashing hard. Byron Scott, who is in his first year of head coaching duty with the Lakers, decided to relegate him to the bench in favor of veteran guard Ronnie Price, citing Lin's inability to orchestrate the offense and lapses on the defensive end of the court.
As the trade deadline loomed large, Lin's name had been linked to several trade scenarios. The Lakers were hoping a team would try to gamble on his $8MM expiring contract, but they never received a solid offer for the Lakers point guard in the end. In short, Lin is set to finish this season with the Lakers.
Just prior to All-Star break, there's no doubt on NBA analysts' mind that Lin was a one-and-done case in Los Angeles. But fast-forward to his current state now, Lin has steadily made his case to the Lakers that his career is far from done.
Buoyed by an increase in playing time, he has become the team's most consistent contributor off the bench. Even his biggest skeptic in the team in Scott has been impressed his recent form to that point that he's willing to give Lin a shot to prove his worth in the last 10 games of the season, as a starter.
Asked what turned things around for him as of late, Lin credited his solid play to a more free-flowing offense which allows him to run more pick-and-roll executions - his bread-butter offensive set.
As what James Harden's description of Lin. He is a fighter. He doesn't quit or fold under pressure and he always finds a way to overcome adversities in his life. Once again, Lin is a living testament that everything is possible as long as one believes in himself.
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