Jeremy Lin Must Reinvent Himself with LA Lakers

It seems as if Jeremy Lin has gone through a lot of basketball reincarnations in a relatively short space of time.

He was undrafted out of Harvard, wandered briefly as a journeyman and experienced a meteoric rise with the New York Knicks before two years of searching for his role with the Houston Rockets.

Lin is now with the Los Angeles Lakers after being traded from the Rockets. He has one guaranteed year left on an existing contract in which to prove his worth, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say it’s time to reinvent himself once again.



But perhaps getting started again simply means being true to himself rather than the expectations of others. In fact, the point guard alluded to the very same thing, speaking about the burden of past expectations when he was formally introduced by Mitch Kupchak last month.

“I’m not trying to relive that banner season. It's been a big weight off my shoulders,” Lin said per Lakers.com. “I’m not trying to recreate ‘Linsanity' or be that phenomenon that happened in New York. I just want to be myself more than ever.”

In a sense, Lin possesses qualities similar to one of his predecessors at the point for the Purple and Gold: Derek Fisher, now the head coach for the Knicks. While their playing styles have little in common, they each have a quiet yet confident way of communicating. Lin and Fisher are both men of faith, and are hardworking, over-achieving individuals who understand the importance of teamwork.

All that said, there are things that Lin should prioritize in his new position and areas that need improvement.

Lin needs to be a leader of men. This means finding a balance and a solid working relationship with a guy named Kobe Bryant. Yes, the still-reigning Lakers superstar is a vocal leader who isn’t shy about taking over a game. Yet there have been other team l...

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