Jeremy had a very good showing this past week in the D-League showcase. Here is my overview of JLin since coming down for his second stint, including tonights game:
He has shown very nice improvement in both his passing and ball handling/decision making:
-1st D-League Assignment 4 games: Assist/TO ratio: .8
2nd Assignent 3 games: Assist/TO ratio: 2.43
-He is penetrating and dishing as well as taking it to the hole
-He has attempted a few alley oop passes (something we haven't seen before)
-Sometimes he'll just dribble all the way through under the basket not forcing up a contested shot
-He is cutting down on turnovers self caused by trying to do too much
-He is making the simple pass to shooters coming off screens
-He is using his left hand
He is playing with much more confidence and control in all aspects of his game.
-He is taking and usually making the open jumper
-He was actually posting up smaller guards
-He is taking the technical shots even though he is struggling from the line at the moment
-He has the respect of his Bighorn teammates as well as a good rapport with them
Statistically, he is filling up the stat sheet and the Bighorns are winning. Most importantly, he is showing all by his consistent, impressive play, he is a legit NBA player. No doubt, he has areas to still work on, but who doesn't? Yes, it is just the D-League too. Never the less, it's obvious to me that he has the overall game to make a positive impact in the NBA real soon, especially, for a team that needs help defensively. I believe it's still best for him to stay down unless someone gets hurt. However, with the Warriors in the middle of a soft schedule, Coach Smart desperately needs these wins. No way does he let JLin play any meaningful minutes if called back up soon. Also, ironically, no way do the Warriors not pick up their 2nd year option on JLin.
From NBA.com: All Showcase Team
great points! lin looks like he has gained a lot of confidence since playing in the showcase games. which is great since the more confidence he gains the more things can try out as a point guard. he is such a quick learner and his explosive first step really helps to penetrate then make fast decisions with the ball. things i've noticed about his point guard game which i think he's picked up since the showcase games.. 1. he is making the quick and simple passes (as you've mentioned). 2. he is using some fancy dribbling to buy some time to make a good decision when normally it would look like he is just holding on to the ball and looking confused. 3. he dribble penetrates and stops at a dime to make a short jumper ala john stockton. this can be used very effectively as most people are expecting him to drive all the way all the time.
ReplyDeleteAll great points. Another related point to the reduced turnovers is that he isn't driving into the lane when there are three defenders at the top of the key that used to almost always result in a turnover.
ReplyDeleteIt is very cool to see him shine in these games. It is kind of funny that he can drive and score so well when his teammates that seem more athletic can't.
just tried to watch the game on futurecast archives and it is unwatchable. so many freeze frames and jump aheads. so i don't think it was a server overload problems just bad recording.
ReplyDeletemore about lin. what amazes me is how easily he is able to dribble penetrate. in the next game, i'm going to count how many times he drove by his man verses how many times other people are able to do it.
I would have to generally disagree here. Taking into account all the games he has played in the D-league, I would say that there is little new to see. The various things he has done are basically the same things that we saw in college, pro-am and so forth.
ReplyDeleteIt needs to be considered that the level of play in the d-league is atrocious. I actually did not realize it was as bad as it is until watching these few games. There is no defense being played most of the time and certainly there is little help defense.
The problem here is that the things that Lin is doing in Reno will simply not be available in the NBA. In order to penetrate effectively in the NBA you need to be rose/westbrook strong-quick. Lin is nowhere near that level, which leaves him with the same problem he has had so far: he is overmatched on the court in the NBA. Barring consistent ability to penetrate, then the shooting percentage must be there or the passing ability. He has not shown he can do either one of those things. He wasn't PG at Harvard (and half-time pg at Reno at best). He is not going to be a PG in the NBA all of a sudden.
All in all, it is hard to see how anything has changed since he was sent to the d-league.
Reality Now, still trolling?
ReplyDelete"I would have to generally disagree here"
..that's all I had to read or care to
Ask
ReplyDeleteWhy play Law instead of Lin when Lin’s stats are better. Lin steal and block better. Lin is bigger so he can do pick and roll and pick and pop; both involve passing and aggressive drive for Lin only. Why not allowing Lin to develop?
by ILoveWarriorsGirls on Jan 14, 2011 1:11 PM PST reply
Well, this again hits on Smart’s philosophies of bringing in rookies, above.
Speaking of Lin, I asked him why bring Lin back if you were gonna send him back just last week. As you probably already know, it was because of Acie’s possible injury, so they flew Jeremy to New Orleans as sort of an insurance policy on Law.
As far as the recent assignment back to Reno, Smart said he caught Lin’s game the other day from the D-League Showcase (all NBDL teams are currently there at South Padre Island in Texas — in one location for the scouts’ sake), and was impressed by Lin’s confidence and swagger.
Said he even noticed the little nuance of the ball being rolled inbounds to Lin and Lin not picking it up until needed, to save shotclock. I can only speculate that with such an observation of such a nuance, Lin was really having some confidence issues perhaps even in practice. To the point where he wasn’t able to do the little things like that, that you would expect from a confident, experienced point guard.
I asked if there was a set time for Lin to be at Reno or if they were just gonna see how he does game by game. Smart said that there was a set time.
I guess the main thing the Warriors front office has to manage is the threat of injuries and any other mishaps, including what’s ahead of them in the schedule, that may or may not affect the NBDL assignment. You can only send a guy down 3 times in an NBA season. I guess they are maybe figuring a point at which they might be mathematically eliminated from playoffs too?
So, it’s interesting how franchises figure out when to send a guy down and when to bring him back.
Twitter: @poormanscommish
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by Poor Man's Commish on Jan 14, 2011 4:51 PM PST up reply
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2011/1/14/1935138/pre-game-shoot-around-thread-golden-state-warriors-morning-courtside#storyjump
Jeremy should just be referred to as "J-Lin-WIN." End of story.
ReplyDelete"In order to penetrate effectively in the NBA you need to be rose/westbrook strong-quick. "
ReplyDeleteReality, getting by your man is not just about strength and quickness. A slower guy can get by his man if he is elusive. Even the commentators were noting Lin's elusive first step. If the defender guesses which way Lin is going incorrectly, Lin will get by them. Lin is definitely not slow by any means.
Reality Now is obviously a "glass half empty" person, but I have to say he does make a valid point that Lin is still more successful as a shooting guard or combo guard at this time. That said, there's definitely progress being made. Staying in the D-league a little while longer and working with Musselman is definitely a positive thing. Here's hoping the Warriors squad stays healthy.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens next season is interesting to speculate upon. With an impending lockout, he might not even have his option picked up. If that happens, it's not necessarily bad. If I'm his agent, he goes to Taiwan and becames a mega star over there. The NBA with international aspirations will take immediate notice. He signs the following year with the Lakers.
I love Taiwan but I fail to see how the NBA would be interested in any type of star over there. The market is just too small. The level of basketball is a few notches below the d-league.
ReplyDeleteYeah good point by Reality Now. The help defense in the d-league is not as good (slower and smaller) as the NBA. But it's there at times. I think JLin has started adjusting to it. In his 2nd stint, he's been making better decisions when he drives to the basket. He's not quite ready for the NBA help D yet, but I am seeing small improvements. It's a work in progress - give it some time.
Yes, the jumpshot needs to be more consistent.
The most important thing is that he's got his confidence back.
the point reality now doesn't see is that jlin is taking what's given to him. it's easy for him to penetrate in the d league and it is high percentage so of course that's what he should be doing a lot of there. he still has skills he can work on here, and they are mentioned above -- not getting into trouble with the penetration/turnovers, and making good decisions.
ReplyDeletein the nba, he will attempt the penetration, a man will come to help and he will find the open guy. curry penetrates fine and he's no more athletic than jeremy. lin doing that already in the d league when that option is available.
in any case it won't be jlin's primary job to dribble penetrate on the warriors. he would best as a 15 minute a game backup pg to head up the second team with reggie to give curry and monte a real rest.
he would be great in that position esp as a defensively strong pg to keep the game even when the starters are on the bench. hope we eventually have a coach who can see this.
Just to be clear, I think JLin will be NBA ready next year, but the NBA might shut down and the Warriors might not pick up the option on his contract. Speculation would be what to do then. D-League won't be necessary. My hope though is to the league resolves the labor issues.
ReplyDeleteNo sports for a year! A healthy america :p. Here is hoping we can watch Lin play more! Don't care if it's Dleague or in the NBA but I just want to be sure that he gets minutes so he can actually improve!
ReplyDeleteJeremy's parents are sitting "courtside" across from the Reno's bench. I like how they're so supportive of their son.
ReplyDeleteI guess not a lot of people are watching today seeing as how there's no problem with the live feed today.
The assist total won't show it, but JL has done a good job running the offense today. Made a bunch of nice passes inside that created easy dunks/layups...but his guys were fouled hard.
ReplyDeleteThese announcers don't understand that this is D-League. The point isn't winning the game -- it's to develop your skills (esp. your weaknesses). I think that's why they're so out of it.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, these commentators are terrible. How biased and uneducated can they get? I'm going to email the VP of Communication for the Bighorns to complain. I encourage you all to do the same.
ReplyDeletetj@renoaces.com
Musselman's asking JLin to guard Alexander for the final 6-7 mins of the game AND running the point. JLin looks really tired..
ReplyDeletewhat did the commentators say?
ReplyDeleteDon't complain about the commentators, are you serious???
ReplyDeleteInteresting move to have Lin guard Alexander, I think it is part of the development program. I give Musselman credit for trying different things. It probably hurt his F/Ts at the end though.
ReplyDeleteAs for the commentators, I don't even listen. My nicknames for them are "Eat" and Dan Dis-Gusting.
Complaining about the commentators will make all Jlin fans look ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHis play on the court can speak for itself.
Who was guarding Alexander before Musselman switched Lin onto him? And do you remember time on game clock when switch happened, so I can go back and look at play by play before and after switch?
ReplyDeleteI think Richardson and Landry were guarding Alexander. I could be wrong but it was around the 6 min mark when Musselman called Lin over to the sideline during FT's to make the switch.
ReplyDeletewatching it now, 4:51 was when the switch was made. he tried everyone before that, charlo mainly, a little bit of landry too.
ReplyDeletethe announcers are really really biased though it's so sad. lin takes a hard charge "oh they got a break there". lol if it was anyone else
ReplyDeleteThe next 4 games are outside the state of Nevada... Nice!! LOL no Eat-ham and DisGustin for a week!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, one point for "Eat-Ham" and DisGustin, Jeremy does need to make that last F/T. I like the name whomever thought of that. It makes it more tolerable to listen to them. As for complaining, that's what fans do.
ReplyDeleteYou must be kidding. Jeremy was 3/4 on FT tonight. What they said was disgusting. One of the Legends fouled Jeremy and since they were over the limit, Jeremy got to shoot free throws. Tubbs (aka Eat-Ham and everything else in sight) said, "That was a good foul because Jeremy couldn't convert the second." This is commentary that should be coming from the LEGENDS, not the Bighorns. Maybe these homers are so stupid they don't know which team Jeremy is on. You can't get any more low class than that.
ReplyDeleteI think it speaks volumes for Jeremy's defense that Coach Musselman put Jeremy on Alexander (who is a good 4 inches taller) since Alexander was the best shooter on the legends.
Point is though, the first F/T was a lucky bounce and the second shot was a brick. Agree that the commentators seemed to like the Legends better than the Bighorns.
ReplyDeleteNice to see Musselman has Lin working on the lob/dunk. It's used of course a lot in the NBA but apparently they didn't run it much at Harvard. lol
Lin won that last Texas game by virtually himself. Everyone was cold, and he drew several hard charges, set the offense, brought the ball up, guarded Alexander at the end, and cleared the boards. Fitting that he grabbed the final one high off the glass.
ReplyDeleteHe is showing all aspects of his game. Hope he keeps it up and stays healthy.
I feel that Jeremy probably getting a lot more useful coaching from Musselman than from Smart. Musselman has 3 years NBA head coaching experience, Smart has less than 1 year. And Musselman can actually focus on developing Lin's skills to the NBA level. Smart is focused on wins and his own job. Looking after a developmental player is his last priority.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see Lin stay in the D-League until the Warriors situation changes, or he is acquired by another team in a better situation.
I posted highlights from the 1/16 game:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OA2tMYQBbs
hey dsb,
ReplyDeletethanks for the highlights, well appreciated! =]
wow, "Reality Now" is a serious troll that he is even resorting to watching d-league games just to trash on jlin7, lol! nice try, but we ain't taking the bait. keep it up jeremy, you'll earn your place in the nba!
ReplyDeleteanyone realized who he out rebounded against on the last play?
ReplyDeletei like the leadership lin is displaying on the floor. he's not afraid to tell people what or how to do things the right way. that takes a lot of guts and eventually teamates will grow to respect him even though they may hate him for it now.
ReplyDeletevery interesting that musselman put lin on the much bigger/taller alexander. i think the coach wants to prevent alexander from driving and wants him to have to earn it with his jumpers. lin showed that he is capable of staying infront of even the quickest guards so there is no way alexander can get pass lin. good coaching. but alexander is also a deadly shooter
ReplyDeletei noticed that in the final minutes of the 4th, lin was guarding and stopping 2 players on the lengends (alexander and dentman) play after play. i wonder where he gets the energy to play both ends of the floors with so much on his shoulders. i guess they are also working on his stamina. on the warriors, i've noticed that he often run out of gas.
ReplyDeleteGood postings all. I too noticed Lin has more developed more assertiveness. In the first Legends game, he actually went after Dentman who is a pretty dirty player, but was restrained by Ewing. Instead he went to complain to the ref.
ReplyDeletePlaying in the altitude of Reno must be tiring but will be good overall for conditioning.
Hoping the Warriors stay healthy so Lin can get more work in. The upcoming games are against better competition and it will be interesting to see how he does Thursday. In the meantime, I may have to resort to...ouch!...watching a Warriors game. At least Fitz and Barnett won't seem so irritating now that I have heard "Eat" and "Dis-gustin" lol
I think Coach Musselman might have switched Lin onto Alexander so the bigger and more athletic Strawberry could guard Dentmon and Lin could try and just deny Alexander from getting to touch the ball (rather than being able to guard him straight up).
ReplyDeleteLin looks like a good on ball defender, but he seems particularly good as an off ball help defender (knocking ball loose as opposing player being guarded by someone else drives to hoop, getting in position for charge, tipped and deflected balls, and especially, triggering transition offense when he gets a defensive rebound).
Smart seems to be trying Lin into classic point guard position, while Musselman is developing his point guard skills, but taking advantage of his other talents as well by letting him play off ball on offense and defense. Just because Sloan dribbles ball past half-court doesn't mean Lin doesn't actually get ball as point guard when half court set develops.
I would also say that Lin looks slightly more explosive now that he gets real game time 3 times a week. He also seems to have another gear when he is dribbling the ball up in transition.
He may not be a classical point guard, but he seems to have a skill set that could be quite useful for some NBA team (probably not the Warriors, but maybe Lakers, Mavericks, ?)
Scorekeeper really screwed Lin in the last game. No blocks and no steals, only 3 assists, 4 rebounds, are you kidding? Lin had a monster block in front of everyone and numerous assists.
ReplyDeleteLin is very good at knocking the ball away, something that statistically does not show up but is something Smart professes to value. I like the idea of going to the Lakers, Mavericks, etc. too. At some point it would be nice to be recalled to GS when it's possible for him to get P/T.
ReplyDeleteI know there are lots of Lakers fans and talks about Lin signing or getting traded to the Lakers next season, but really guys, I don't think his playing time would be any better than at GS. Phil Jackson does NOT play rookies, and he'd be behind Fisher and Steve Blake. Blake is a solid back-up PG and I just don't see Jeremy beating him out for minutes. If he goes to the Lakers, he'll either ride the pine or be sent to Bakersfield.
ReplyDeleteIf he stays with GS, on the other hand, Lacob and the new owners MAY re-evaluate the coaching staff next season or after the lock out. Keith Smart may or may not be here. Same goes for Monta and as a result, Acie Law.
Either that or he goes to a team that's defensive oriented that needs a backup PG where he can get experience at the NBA level.
exactly, these laker fans are dreaming. now if fish retires one of these days and blake becomes the starting pg then there may be room for jlin there. until then actually gs is the place where he might get the most playing time (once smart goes or starts believing in him)
ReplyDelete"(once smart goes or starts believing in him)" ..that's dreaming too.
ReplyDeleteThe point is IMO Lin > Blake right now and cheaper too. My dream is Charlie Bell and Jeremy for Blake because Blake > Acie Law.
Why not simply keep Lin? Frankly, I have this sneaking suspicion the Warrior fan base in general will not accept Lin, continuing to see him as a marketing ploy and blaming their continued losses in part on him. I have posted on other sites that the W's will not win 30 games this year.
Despite how I feel about the Lakers, Jeremy going there makes sense. The only question is whether or not his 3 pt shooting is adequate. Fisher is 37 and Blake is 30. The Lakers negotiated with him before. Lin is not a rookie. A combo guard is all the Lakers need as long as Kobe is there. Phil Jackson will be gone. Finally, Lakers FO > Warriors FO.
ReplyDeletesmart is pretty much guaranteed to be out at the end of the year, everyone (except maybe smart himself) knows it.
ReplyDeletewhile I agree that jeremy is better than blake and has more upside, as long as phil is there I don't see it happening. phil is pretty much against rookies and young players. he really favors vets (e.g. d fish). if he retires this year it leaves the door open.
in any case I think the point is moot b/c it's a pretty certain that jeremy's contract will be picked up for the second year.
the only thing blake has on lin is his jumpers. lin is head and shoulders ahead of blake (along with many other nba players) on the defense. lin is practicing his jumpers everyday and is putting in extra work before and after practice. it's only a matter of time lin will catch up or even surpass many nba backup point guards. maybe he already did? that is, if coaches value defense more than offense. at least i think he has as i feel defense at the point guard position is the most important thing on a team because it keeps opposing teams from running plays effectively and the ball is usually in the hands of the point guard.
ReplyDeleteIt was really significant that coach Musselman put Lin on Alexander for defense at the end of the game. It shows how much the coach recognizes Lin's defensive skills and really displays Lin's overall versatility as a player. It also showed how much the coach wanted to win the game.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Musselmen will relay how well rounded Lin's game is back to the W's organization.
@ Anon 1:56 PM
ReplyDeleteIf it's true that Smart is pretty much guaranteed the axe, I wonder who will replace him... Musselman?
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2010/8/12/1619478/eric-musselman-to-be-named-reno
He speculates that Musselman was let go because of possible back office politics with Mullen. But now that Mullen's not around anymore, I'm wondering what's going through the owners' and GM's (maybe) minds... especially if Musselman's record stays/improves.
I think they may go with van gundy... musselman I don't think so given the history but it's still a possibility.
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing that Lacob/Gruber had wanted someone young and dynamic (whatever that means) to be the head coach. Musselman might fit the bill as young. He certainly yells at his players during timeouts. Does that count as dynamic? I doubt he will get the call though as he already washed out for two clubs. Young multi-millionaire players probably don't like being yelled at by some guy making 5% of their salary.
ReplyDelete