Jeremy Lin owners have a sore shoulder from patting themselves on the back so hard. The real trick is seeing what the trade market bears for the Knicks’ phenom.
Over the last six games, the former undrafted free agent out of Harvard is averaging 26.8 points and 8.5 assists.
Expecting him to sustain that is unrealistic — even for the biggest “Linsanity” fans.
Hot shot
During Lin’s 21 career D-League games, the point guard shot 48 percent from the field. When players make the leap to the pros, their shooting percentage inevitably comes down.
But since bursting onto the scene with the Knicks, Lin is at 50.4 percent. A regression is coming.
Melo issues
If Carmelo Anthony (groin) was healthy, Lin wouldn’t even have taken that game-winning shot against the Raptors. Once Melo gets back in the lineup, Lin’s attempts and time with the ball will go down. Right now, he’s getting 19.5 shots up per night. Anthony was a “ball hog” at 18.8 attempts per game.
How high?
All this said, we should not be selling Lin on the cheap. He’s going to settle in around 32-35 minutes, well off the 40 he’s playing right now. But he’ll still be a top-50 player as a perfect fit for Mike D’Antoni’s offense. Aim for the top-30.
Top NBA pickups
Nicolas Batum
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Portland is struggling, so they are turning their mega-talented sixth man into a starter. Major upside.
J.R. Smith
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Smith is on his way back from China and has been linked to the Clippers’ starting gig.
