Not too long ago, I wrote about how Jeremy Lin is the undeniable face of the Houston Rockets franchise. And I stand by that column, but there’s been a common misconception surrounding it, and Lin in general.
As sure as I am that Lin is the face of the Houston organization, I am, by no means, experiencing any sense of certainty with regard to his ability to live up to such expectations. And I’ve made that clear. Which apparently means I’m too harsh, or an idiot in general.
But here’s the thing, regardless of how high the bar has been set for Lin, regardless of how many people believe in him, he’s still unproven. People point to his half-season explosion in New York as a sign that he is a bona fide leader, a superstar on the rise, and you know what, they could be right. But they could also be wrong.
Lin didn’t prove anything in New York, not in terms of leadership and a future in this league. Did his incredible run make it appear as if he belonged? Yes, and he most likely does, but again, we don’t know for sure. Yet.
When the Knicks turned to Lin, they were not a franchise hoping that he would lead them to the promise land, nor were they hoping he would emerge as any sort of leader in general. Lin was inserted into the lineup as a last ditch effort to salvage something out of the point guard position; he was something different to counteract what simply wasn’t working.
From there, though, Lin took over the offense while taking the basketball world by storm. He hit game-winners, broke down Kobe Bryant and instilled the type of hope in the Knicks that Carmelo Anthony had yet to inflict.
But he did all that incidentally. There were literally no expectations of him when he was first put in the lineup. Again, the Knicks were desperate, he was there and luckily for both parties, his career took off.
And good for Lin. He’s a workhorse and dedicated athlete, so it’s great to see such hard work and determination pay off. But let’s not sit here and pretend that Lin has proved everything already. Before we can even begin to entertain such a notion, we must see how he fares under actual expectations with Houston. Because he cannot make a career—not a legitimate one anyway—off Linsanity, off one spurt of excellence. He needs to do what he did last season, all year for the Rockets.
Can he, though? Is he talented enough to continue attacking the rim? Is his court vision developed enough that he can develop into a proven playmaker? Does he possess the necessary mentality to lead Houston’s promising group of no-names?
If we look toward Linsanity, we see that the answer to each question is yes. And that’s right, he is talented enough, has the tools necessary to do all those things.
But will he? Will emerge as a star, a heralded leader, an adequate cornerstone for a franchise looking for direction?
That’s a whole different story. Because being able to do something and actually doing it, and maintaining it, are two different things.
And when it comes to Lin, we would be wise to remember that.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
