Jeremy Lin: Is Knicks PG Legit or Lucky?

Jeremy Lin is a good basketball player; there is absolutely no doubt about it.  

But he is probably not the right starting point guard for the New York Knicks—not in the long term, at least. His luck is eventually going to run out when the team hits the road and the superstars are back. 

Lin, who was signed by the Knicks off the street on Dec. 27, has finally carved out some playing time and has shown flashes of brilliance over the past two games.

The young man out of Harvard led the Knicks to back-to-back wins for the first time in a month and put up some solid stats along the way.

But the fact that Amar’e Stoudemire (brother passed away) and Carmelo Anthony (left with an injury early in the first quarter) were both out against the Jazz and somewhat limited against the Nets (third game in three nights) has a lot to do with Lin’s “success.”

The Knicks biggest and most glaring problem this season has been their lack of ball movement. Once Carmelo or Amar’e receive the rock, they often try to isolate and break down their defender, something they have been failing to successfully do on a regular basis.

Lin is certainly a willing passer, given his 15 assists over the past two games, but he feeds off the crowd and can play out of control at times. He turned the orange over eight times against Utah and seemed tired for stretches.

It’s doubtful he’ll have the ball in his hands nearly as much when both superstars are back and the offense could get stagnant again, reducing Lin to someone who brings the ball up and takes set shots, if the ball is moved his way.

He’s not even receiving high praise from coach Mike D’Antoni, who seemed hesitant and reserved to heap credit onto his new starting PG.

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"Jeremy kind of settles everything and we can build on that," D'Antoni said. "He gives us a semblance of a team that can move the ball and get shots… You can actually draw a play up and (think) 'this might work.'”

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In the short term, this is a great move. Lin and his team had two home games that they needed to win and a rocking crowd to feed off of.

However, the Knicks are about to go on the road for three of their next four. This is where the world will see if Lin is legitimate or not and can actually lead his team when they are down AND work the ego of the two stars.

If Lin cannot keep Anthony and Stoudemire happy with their touches while getting them more involved in the passing game, New York is going to have to look elsewhere for a more stable and long-term solution at the point guard position.