Can Jeremy Lin Restart Career Through Fresh Start with Los Angeles Lakers?

Jeremy Lin is in the market for a Hollywood ending.

And thanks to the Houston Rockets' trade-happy standard operating procedure, he appears to have stumbled into the ideal destination.

The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Lin, a future first-round pick and a 2015 second-round pick in exchange for the rights to center Sergei Lishchuk. The deal was cooked up as a means for Houston to clear cap space. At the time, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was in hot pursuit of All-Star forward Chris Bosh, who was an unrestricted free agent until he agreed to return to the Miami Heat.

With Lin's starting position in Houston usurped by Patrick Beverley, a change of scenery may have been overdue. The 25-year-old started all 82 games in his first season with Houston, but he started just 33 games last season.

Much to his credit, the production remained fairly steady.

In 2013-14, Lin averaged 12.5 points and 4.1 assists in just 28.9 minutes per contest. Though many onlookers interpreted those results as a sign that Lin wasn't the star he'd previously been cracked up to be, a couple of caveats are probably in order.

First, expectations surrounding Lin were off the charts. He'd risen to the fore with an injury-riddled New York Knicks team on which his numbers blew up when given an opportunity to play. He was playing alongside a lineup of cobbled-together role players, giving him the perfect opportunity to shine in every respect.



Second, Houston's rotation was a different beast altogether. With James Harden demanding the lion's share of touches and often dominating the ball, there was little room for Lin's heroics to take center stage. Harden's 26.8 usage rate ranked him 12th league-wide, indicating just how heavily the Rockets relied on him.

Lin may remain a sixth man initially in Los Angeles, but he'll have a chance to regain some of the momentum he built with the Knicks. Th...

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