Jeremy Lin has spent the majority of his tenure on the Brooklyn Nets on the bench. But that’s not his fault. Everybody gets injured. However, with him returning next season, the Nets need to figure what his role will be in the future.
Prior to the start of the season, Jeremy Lin was supposed to be the team leader. The Brooklyn Nets might have just acquired D’Angelo Russell, but Lin was the team’s floor general. In fact, Lin could have acted as Russell’s mentor.
But a errant twist after a layup attempt changed that. Rather than finally taking on a leadership role he could excel in, Lin was injured again. As fans watched him in fear, it seemed as though everyone’s worst Lin fears were realized. He was out for the season.
Lin was supposed to help Brooklyn to the postseason. He even said the Nets were playoff bound. As the team’s face, he instilled a sense of courage.
However the team’s identity changed. Rather than represent Lin’s professionalism and confident, Brooklyn took a turn to resilience. What better way to create momentum after losing one of your best players than to become the definition of “Brooklyn grit?”
That is what Brooklyn did. Russell stepped up in Lin’s absence. When Russell suffered a knew injury, it was Spencer Dinwiddie and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who stepped up.
Brooklyn now has a squad of players who could represent it well. Instead of Lin being the poster boy for the Nets, perhaps it is time for him to share the spotlight. After all, Russell, Dinwiddie and Hollis-Jefferson have proved that they belong alongside him. They are as much a part of Brooklyn’s face as Lin was, and is.
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This injury is the perfect opportunity to accept the team’s injury. But, the Nets should not replace Lin. After all, he is “Brooklyn grit.”