Brooklyn Nets Midseason Grades: Backcourt Edition

Nov 23, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Isaiah Whitehead (15) talks to point guard Jeremy Lin (7) during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Isaiah Whitehead (15) talks to point guard Jeremy Lin (7) during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 11, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to give Jeremy Lin a fair assessment when he’s only played 12 games this season. But we can state the obvious: he’s clearly the Nets’ best option at point guard, and it’s fair to say that the Nets could have a much better record if Lin was able to stay healthy.

RELATED STORY: Nets Desperately Need Lin Healthy

When grading Lin, I considered the grades relative to all the other players in the post. It would be unfair to give Lin a failing grade since the hamstring injuries are not his fault, but it’d be unreasonable to give him a B, the same grade as Bojan Bogdanovic and Sean Kilpatrick, since those two players have been able to produce and play in a majority of Brooklyn’s games.

Still, Lin must be at least a tier higher than Isaiah Whitehead, who received a C+, since the rookie is making plenty of rookie mistakes. Hence, a B- for Lin.

12 games may be a small sample size to gauge a player’s efficiency, but the fact of the matter is Lin still leads the Nets in assists per game. His average of 5.8 is three higher than the next player, Whitehead, who averages 2.8 per game. That could make all the difference, and when Lin’s backup is dishing out just 2.8 assists per game, it’s no wonder Brooklyn is struggling. Even Brook Lopez is tallying 2.6 assists per game, the same amount as Spencer Dinwiddie.

RELATED STORY: Lin Provides Optimistic Injury Update

The highly anticipated Brook-Lin offense has been on delay for too long, but fans will have to wait even longer, with Lin not expected to return until the end of January.