Jeremy Lin Finds Right Role Outside Spotlight with Charlotte Hornets

Jeremy Lin needed this.

No more "icon" status in the nation's biggest media market, no more oversized contract nor equally lofty expectations in Houston and no more trying to play the hero in Hollywood. Just a life outside the spotlight, where the solid-but-unspectacular player can be himself.

Lin, who spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, announced on Instagram Wednesday night that he is joining the Charlotte Hornets. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports provided the financial particulars of the arrangement shortly thereafter:

"Going into my first true free agency as an NBA player this offseason, the one thing that mattered to me the most was finding a team that would be a good fit for me," Lin wrote on Facebook. "I wanted to be on a team where I would be able to play freely and truly play the game I love with joy again."

For reasons on and off the court, Charlotte should be the perfect backdrop for Lin to establish his true identity.

Fifth Time Could Be The Charm

Despite only entering the league in 2010-11, Lin is already joining his fifth NBA franchise. This one should allow him to play to his strengths.

He does the bulk of his damage navigating pick-and-roll plays. Even last season, which was his worst scoring campaign since his rookie year, he generated 0.83 points per possession as the pick-and-roll ball-handler, a rate that put him in the 72nd percentile.

He's a crafty finisher around the rim, particularly when he arrives there with a full head of steam. Although not the most explosive leaper, his soft touch and creativity allow him to convert plays over taller defenders.

The Hornets should allow Lin ample opportunity to dominate the ball and create looks for himself and his teammates. Charlotte had the NBA's second-most possessions finished by a pick-and-roll ball-handler last season, so it isn't hard to see why Lin would feel his style fits with the team's.

"It gives the Hornets more scoring options, basically, and that's a good thing for such an offensively challenged team," wrote Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer.

The Hornets had the league's third-worst offensive efficiency in 2014-15. Lin's addition continues Charlotte's offseason pattern of addressing that need. Prior to his arrival, the Hornets had already acquired versatile forward Nicolas Batum, shooting guard Jeremy Lamb and stretch bigs Spencer Hawes and rookie Frank Kaminsky.

Slotted behind starter Kemba Walker, Lin should add some punch to a Hornets bench that ranked 17th in scoring at 32.2 points per game, according to HoopsStats.com. If his shooting holds up (he hit a career-best 36.9 percent from long range last season), he should give Charlotte someone capable of attacking off the dribble, getting to the free-throw line and lighting the lamp from distance. 

"The team's needs should also benefit Lin, who has also looked his best when he can dominate the ball," wrote Yahoo Sports' Eric Freeman. "Unlike many role players, he thrives when more is asked of him."

That being said, the Hornets can't create the ideal conditions for Lin to thrive.

He's a shaky defender, so it would be nice having more interior insurance than Al Jefferson can offer. And despite their attempts to add shooting, it's hard to tell how well they'll be able to space the floor after finishing last season ranked last in three-point percentage (31.8) and tied for 26th in makes (6.1 per game).

On the court, Charlotte seems more like an adequate fit than a great one. But away from it, this could be the best situation Lin has encountered during his five-year NBA career.

Unbelievable Rise Creates Unrealistic Expectations

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Lin's basketball story is unprecedented, and not only because he was the league's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. Career trajectories simply do not follow the radical arc of his.

Undrafted out of Harvard and waived twice before the start of his sophomore year, he eventually landed a non-guaranteed contract with the New York Knicks. After barely getting burn to start the season, Lin was thrust into the action out of desperation—and wound up giving the Big Apple its next star.

The point guard posted 23.9 points and 9.2 assists a night over an 11-game stretch. Linsanity was born, and the global craze had everything: magazine covers, high-profile interviews, endorsement deals and game-winning daggers.

But the sensational success was short-lived. Head coach Mike D'Antoni resigned in March, and Lin crashed back to reality: 14.5 points on 39.3 percent shooting over his final 15 games. Then the point guard's run was officially derailed by a season-ending torn meniscus.

As much as the Linsanity craze helped his brand, the pressures created by his celebrity status were overbearing. Joining the Rockets during the 2012 offseason did nothing to relieve that burden, since new expectations were created by the three-year, $25.1 million pact he signed.

After a good-not-great run with the Rockets in 2012-13, Lin felt he hand't lived up to the hype—nor to his Powerball-sized paycheck. Speaking at a 2013 youth conference in Taiwan (via Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver), he detailed the stress he felt during his debut campaign in Space City:

"

As the 2012-13 season started, I was supposed to be the cornerstone of the Houston Rockets. ... I was supposed to save Houston basketball, but most importantly I was ready to be Linsanity. As I've seen many times in my life, what actually happened was nothing like what I had planned. ...

I was supposed to be joyful and free but what I experienced was the opposite. I had no joy and I felt no freedom. I felt chained to the world's lofty expectations. I felt like I had to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. That's why I couldn't eat or sleep. That's why I was no fun to be around.

"

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The shadow of Linsanity followed the point guard's every move. Fans desperately clung to the belief they would see that player again.

He was briefly Houston's potential savior, then floated to the background behind James Harden and Dwight Howard. Last summer, Lin gave a glimmer of hope to a Los Angeles Lakers team that traded for him after a disastrous 55-win season.

But Lin never fit well with the Lakers. His role changed often, and his production was just as inconsistent. He twice lost his starting job, first to journeyman Ronnie Price and later to second-round pick Jordan Clarkson.

"I don't know if you can make it easier," Lakers coach Byron Scott said in February of Lin's transition, via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. "We go over it pretty much every single day with the way we're going to play and the style we're going to play. That adjustment is basically up to the player to take it, buy into it and run with it."

That adjustment never happened. Lin's playing time, scoring and field-goal percentage all dipped to their lowest levels since his rookie year. The Lakers set franchise worsts for losses (61) and winning percentage (.256).

More change was needed for Lin, and the Hornets scratched that itch. As he heads off to Charlotte, he should be comforted by one fact: For the first time in a long time, expectations should align with reality.

Jeremy Lin's True NBA Calling

Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images

Lin's tale is so unique that no one knows how to read it.

He's a divisive player, but not in a way that label typically implies. There are no off-court concerns or red flags flying around him. He's just a hard player for people to place in the NBA hierarchy.

"That's what's polarizing," Lin told Bleacher Report's Howard Beck in February. "Like, kind of out of my control, the way the media built me up or the way they tried to tear me down or whatever. There's a lot of interesting stuff, and it just turns into this very polarizing, love-hate, 'you're the best,' 'you're the worst' type of situation."

The mystery of Jeremy Lin is that there isn't one.

Forget about those few weeks in the Empire State and focus instead on the player he's become the past three seasons. The stat sheet doesn't show an enigma; it paints him exactly how he is: a solid contributor, but clearly not a star.

There are no hidden question marks in those numbers. Lin is who he is. He can't carry a team, but he can help as a reliable reserve and, when needed, a spot starter.

And that's fine for the Hornets. Their present hinges on the likes of Jefferson, Walker and Batum. Their future is in the hands of Kaminsky and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. They needed Lin to fill a complementary role, and he has proved himself capable of that.

Lin will carry neither the expectations nor the salary of a star. The scrutiny he's felt in the past is finally lifted off his shoulders. He can be himself in what could very well be the most comfortable NBA environment he's ever encountered.

In Charlotte, Lin will be just another face in the crowd. An anonymous existence is exactly what he needed.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.

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