Jeremy Lin - Keys to Getting More Burn

Now I’m not saying I’m some kind of Mel Kiper Jr. of the NBA, but after damn near 20 years of fervently following the Warriors, I think I’ve picked up a thing or two about the local 12.  And while J-Lin’s on-court performance will obviously be a prime driver of his court time, a couple other historic factors could be as well.

Politics

Personality clashes between player and coach has long been a staple of the GSW diet.  Think back to C-Webb and Nellie, just one year removed from the playoffs, a promising and young squad, and of course that dunk over Sir Charles.  Webber’s minutes went from a lot to none as he plied his wares elsewhere.  Then there was Spree-Hardaway-Nellie and Spree-Carlesimo.  ‘Nuff said.

Now Keith Smart doesn’t appear to have that same cult of personality that Nellie had, so hopefully, player-coach politics won’t factor into playing time.  And J-Lin’s playing time won’t come unwittingly at the expense of the team’s locker room harmony.

Injuries

Tell me the last time Golden State wasn’t among the leaders in that dreaded stat, “games lost to injury.”  That’s what I thought.  If you want to find the Warriors among the league leaders somewhere (anywhere), look no further than the Disabled List.  If trends from the past decade hold true, J-Lin could be seeing quite a few minutos by default.  After all, we must have the skinniest backcourt out there.  And I’m not even gonna put down my thoughts on the Warriors’ training staff.

How J-Lin Can Help His Own Cause

From Keith Smart’s preseason sound bites and the simple fact that Jeremy Lin is just a rookie (who played the majority of his collegiate ball at the 2), he will most likely see early-season minutes as a backup 2.  But J-Lin is not your typical 2-guard.  He’s a playmaker, he’s unselfish, and he plays like a point guard unencumbered by the shackles of that “point guard” label.  Sure, he’ll need to work on his ballhandling – I’m not sure how many Chris Paul’s or Darren Collison’s he faced in the Ivy League – but playing off-ball, he will need to knock down j’s, penetrate, and find open teammates.  From my experience playing ball, the best way to make friends and build chemistry on the court is by getting the ball to your teammates in spots where they can finish.  J-Lin definitely has a knack for doing that.  Finally, it never hurts to play lockdown D, hounding the other fellow.  For players facing the prospect of limited minutes, I liken their situation to that of a hockey player.  Any given line is out on the ice for only a couple-few minutes at a time before the next shift rotates in.  This gives players the opportunity to go all out, leaving havoc to the wind.  If J-Lin can follow the hockey model in his limited early-season minutes, it could go a long way in impressing the coaching staff and raise a few more notches on the totem pole.