Jeremy Lin: Knicks Point Guard Would Greatly Benefit from Jason Kidd's Presence
If Jeremy Lin continues to improve and leads the New York Knicks past the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs (assuming that he re-signs with the team now that he's a restricted free agent), Linsanity will take over the world once more.
During his 25 starts for the Knicks this past season, the point guard averaged 18.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and two steals per game. Not bad for a first-time starter.
Obviously the sample size is small, but the results were still there for a fairly sustained period of the regular season.
Just imagine what would happen if Lin had a veteran point guard, one with a ring on a finger and on track for a Hall of Fame selection, to mentor him and make him into the best player he possibly could be. Fortunately for the Harvard graduate, that player is on the market and wants to help Lin out.
Jason Kidd, an unrestricted free agent from the Dallas Mavericks has been making it clear that he wants to either play alongside Deron Williams or help mentor Lin during the 2012-2013 season:
"That would be a lot of fun, to be able to help a young player like that.
He has all the tools. We saw that before he got hurt. To help him understand it’s a long season, to pace yourself, and that he’s got to work extremely hard. Also, to share the things that help me be successful and help him be a better player.
"
While the veteran point guard is only a shell of himself on the court, he has over a decade of NBA experience and could help move along Lin's progress at a faster rate. Kidd has been one of the better passers in the modern era and routinely contributed in every facet of the game.
His skills as a manager of the game are legendary and he could teach Lin how to coexist with superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. Plus, he could still perform at a high level in limited minutes to let Lin get a few minutes of rest here and there.
Lin is obviously a very cerebral player, you know, since he did the whole graduating from Harvard thing in his spare time. He'd be sure to glean any and all information he could from his older and wiser hypothetical teammate.
While lucking into the starting job with the New York Knicks was the best thing that could happen during Lin's career, having Jason Kidd as a mentor would be a close second.
