Jeremy Lin’s Changing Role in the NBA

Oct 28, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 28, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

In his six years in the NBA, Jeremy Lin has already played for five different teams. As a result, his role has varied throughout his career.

Previously, I published a piece about Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin (the Brook-Lin duo). In that piece, I described how Lopez and Lin would fare together on the Nets. Based on numbers, I deduced that Lin’s playmaking abilities have depleted since his “Linsanity” days. I was wrong.

What I failed to take into account was how Lin’s role has changed throughout his time in the NBA. Lin hasn’t been able to explode as “Linsanity” not because of his lack of talent or skill, but because of many other factors that he had no control of. With details provided by Tom Gardner, here is the evolution of Lin’s role in the NBA.

Next: The Beginning