Jeremy Lin: Why Emergence of Talented PG Will Put Knicks In Playoff Hunt

The 2011-12 NBA season certainly hasn't gotten off to the type of start the New York Knicks had hoped. With a record of 10-15, the Knicks are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs, but thanks to the emergence of unheralded point guard Jeremy Lin, New York is on the ascent.

With forward Amar'e Stoudemire unavailable due to the death of his brother and forward Carmelo Anthony leaving in the first quarter with a groin injury, things looked dire for the Knicks on Monday night against the Utah Jazz.

Thanks to fantastic play from Lin, however, they won their second straight game.

Despite the presence of head coach and offensive guru Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks' offense has been out of sync all season long. Perhaps the biggest reason for that has been the absence of a true distributor at point guard as Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby haven't gotten the job done and Baron Davis has been injured.

Lin has stepped up in a big way over the past couple games, though, particularly against the Jazz as he dropped 28 points and dished out eight assists in New York's 99-88 win. Lin has now become a sudden star for the Knicks after barely being even used this season.

As head coach of the Phoenix Suns, D'Antoni had his offense being always predicated on the play of point guard Steve Nash. Nash was the one who ran the ball up the floor and created open looks for his teammates, though he would get to the basket and score the ball himself.

Although there is no guarantee he can keep it up over the long term, it's fair to say that Lin looked an awful lot like Nash on Monday. He was very effective as a passer, but he was probably at his best when he was blowing by defenders and getting to the rim, allowing him to score or get to the line.

Despite the Knicks' struggles at point guard, it took Lin this long to get a look, but better late than never.

The fact that he has had two impressive games doesn't mean that he is going to be the Knicks' savior, but if he stays true to the game he is currently playing, it should help tremendously.

Ball movement has been a big issue for New York all season long. Its offense has mostly consisted of Carmelo dribbling around with the ball for the majority of the possession. While that can work at times, Anthony and the offense as a whole will be far more effective with a distributor like Lin.

With both Stoudemire and Anthony out, Lin focused mostly on scoring the basketball himself, but he found center Tyson Chandler on a number of occasions for easy baskets. While Chandler is a capable inside scorer, he isn't anywhere near as good as Stoudemire, so it will be interesting to see how Lin gets Amar'e involved.

The Knicks aren't going to be able to succeed if Anthony is out for a long period of time, but when you add Lin to the core of Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler, things look a lot brighter for New York. The Knicks have been searching for a reliable point guard since being forced to cut Chauncey Billups and they may have finally found one.

Lin hasn't had many chances to contribute during his young career, but he may have just been one of many who slipped through the cracks. His skill set seems perfect for D'Antoni's offense, so if he continues to play at this level, then the Knicks should be in a much better place very soon.