Charlotte Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin has proven that he belongs in this league not only as a benchwarmer, but as a player vital to a success of a playoff team. This off-season, his value is expected to rise up and he may just land another starting role like he had with the Houston Rockets.
Lin was not only a key contributor to the sixth seed Hornets, but he also made a name for himself as an individual as he was one of the frontrunners to win the Most Improved Player award. Despite losing the trophy to CJ McCollum, the 26 year-old point guard just showed the league that he is worth the money, Sportige reported.
The Charlotte Hornets are still weighing their options on Lin but the point guard has expressed his desire to stay with the team for the years to come. He is even willing to take a pay-cut just to stay as his comfort level with this team is far different than the past three teams he has been with.
During his stint with the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, Lin was under a lot of pressure not only because of the "Linsanity" expectations, but these are also big market teams whose fans are said to be very keen to how players on their team are performing.
In Charlotte, however, he did not felt that pressure as Kemba Walker is the main man at point and once he subbed in, his role was simple: penetrate to confuse the opponent's defense and find the open man. The Michael Jordan owned team has been relying on the three-ball a lot which made Lin's penetrating ability a huge factor in their system.
If the Hornets would like to keep their asset, they would have to fight the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers, as they are reportedly the frontrunners for Lin's services, At The Hive learned. The aforementioned teams are ready to offer Lin a new contract that the team may find hard to match.
Here are some highlights of Lin during the course of the 2015-16 NBA season.