Jeremy Lin's humble and persistent NBA story could be the Brooklyn Nets roadmap to success. (Photo : Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgerald/Mike McGregor)
Brooklyn Nets star point guard Jeremy Lin is not known for his defense and he admitted it in a recent interview. However, he thinks that he has improved his defense a lot since his "Linsanity" days with the New York Knicks.
"These are knocks on my game that, when I was a younger player, I'd agree with. I've improved, it just hasn't been highlighted," Lin told the New York Post.
The talk of Lin's defense started when a recent report noted that the Knicks passed on the 28-year-old point guard this summer because of his defense. New York went on to trade for Derrick Rose and signed Brandon Jennings as his backup.
Many NBA experts such as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, Robin Lundberg of ESPN and Mike Moore of CBS Sports blasted the report and came into Lin's defense. Lundberg, in particular, thinks that the Harvard product would have been the best defensive player on the Knicks if they signed him.
Lin would have been best defensive guard on Knicks by a mile. https://t.co/LPVunygUDG
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) September 18, 2016
The Post also pointed out that Lin is ranked 20th best point guard in terms of ESPN's Defensive Real Plus-Minus last season. Hornets head coach Steve Clifford also admitted in an interview with the Charlotte Observer that Lin is the hardest player to replace this offseason due to his defensive versatility.
On the other hand, Lin's new head coach, Kenny Atkinson, praised the words by Clifford and told the media in a press conference on Tuesday that Lin is a good defender because of his athleticism and competitiveness.
"I love the Steve Clifford quote from the other day. We need to keep him on this path. He can be a darn good defender with his athleticism, his competitiveness. He feels a little slighted that he's not considered a better defender, so we need to hold him accountable there," Atkinson said, via The Post.
Lin still has a lot to prove in his first season in Brooklyn. It will be a tough year since the Nets are projected to have the worst record next season. Their future also does not look good as they do not have any first round picks until the 2019 NBA Draft.
Nevertheless, many are expecting Lin to have the best season of his career. He is clearly the second-best player in the Nets roster behind Brook Lopez. Expect him to register career highs across the board next season.
Check out the video below for Lin's Top 10 Plays last season with the Charlotte Hornets.
