Jeremy Lin: What Overnight Sensation Should Learn from Jason Kidd

Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks look to get back on the winning track tonight as Lin prepares to take on his childhood idol Jason Kidd for the second time.

Before the Knicks faced the defending NBA champions at Madison Square Garden on February 19, Lin had the following to say to Newsday about facing Kidd.

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"He's a legend out there," he said. "No question, people talk about him everywhere I go. Obviously, it's an honor to be able to play against him. I looked up to him a lot and growing up was a fan of what he did. It'll be good to play against him and see where I'm at."

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Lin got the better of Kidd and the Mavericks that day, leading the Knicks to a comeback win with 28 points and 14 assists.

It could be a different story the second time around, but it's good for Lin to get another look at Kidd.

He could learn a lot from the crafty veteran.

Kidd's a perfect guy for a young guard like Lin to model himself after. If it turns out that Lin has a career half as good as the one Kidd's been able to put up through 18 solid years in the NBA, then the Knicks will really have something in the Harvard graduate.

The great ones are able to take something away from playing against the greats, in both victory and defeat. Lin's a smart one and can learn a lot from Kidd.

They have a lot of similarities.

Both are great open-court passers and have the ability to make things happen not only in transition, but in the half-court game as well.

Both struggle to defend quick point guards, but can defend effectively off the ball.

Both also have been prone to careless turnovers.

But the biggest thing Lin can learn from Kidd is to simply be himself. Keep playing his game but improve his weaknesses.

Kidd started out his career as a fantastic passer, but he never took care of the ball very well.

His turnover numbers were never as high as Lin's are right now, but during Kidd's first 10 seasons in the NBA, he averaged over 3.5 turnovers per game. In Kidd's last eight seasons (including this one), he's cut that number down to a respectable 2.4.

Kidd also used to be a miserable perimeter shooter, but in time he progressed enough to the point where he could at least knock it down at a decent rate. He will never be confused with the good shooters around the league, but he's no longer an embarrassment.

Those are just a couple ways that Kidd's game has evolved throughout his lengthy career.

Similar to Kidd, Lin just has to stick with it and continue to learn from experience.

By no means does Lin need to change his game. His aggressiveness makes him who he is.

But as he learns more through his time in the league, Lin can add to what he already has and become a complete point guard.

There are far worse guys to learn from than Kidd.