Los Angeles Lakers: Jeremy Lin Shows Importance In First Win
Well, Charles Barkley, you can finally indulge in some food; the Los Angeles Lakers are winless no more. Following a 107-92 win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Lakers moved their record to 1-5, nabbing their first victory at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant had 21 points, the bench played well, and Jeremy Lin played arguably his best game as a Laker in the lone win for the purple and gold thus far.
The team improved in all areas following their extended time off (they only played in two contests last week, and were able to get some precious practice time as a result), most notably their defense. After giving up the most points per game in the NBA this year, the Lakers held the Hornets to under 100 points; the first time they have accomplished that feat all season.
Of course, the Charlotte Hornets have not been a prolific shooting team, as evidenced by their 44.3 percent shooting percentage for the game, including 21.4 percent from deep.
In this one, Kobe Bryant did not erupt for a high scoring total, but instead limited himself to a mere 20 shots, a fry cry from his 37 shot attempts in the Lakers’ last game five days ago. He drew a tough matchup in Lance Stephenson, and the rest of the Hornets defense can play as well, perhaps the reason that Bryant took this altered approach to his game.
One reason that he toned down his offensive aggressiveness could be in order to usher along the attacking mentality in one Jeremy Lin, who had himself his best game as a Los Angeles Lakers uniform.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
With a 21-point performance, tying him for the team lead in that regard, Jeremy Lin also dished out seven assists with only one turnover in the game. His shooting was efficient, sporting an 8-for-12 mark, including 3-for-6 from beyond the three-point line.
The most important thing, and one that will not show up as clearly in the box score, is that Lin seemed as comfortable as he has at any point in any of his six games as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. That was a feeling that carried over throughout the game, aggressive moves to the basket combined with proper decision making from the point.
This is the type of performance that the Los Angeles Lakers will require from Lin in order to win games. They rank 11th in points per game, and that is without consistent point guard play to date. With a concentrated effort from Jeremy Lin, this team could become an offensive team that can provide some resistance while they attempt to fix their defensive issues.
Limiting the turnovers is a key part of this, and Lin did a great job of keeping the ball in his possession. Limiting turnovers is a basic fundamental that every team tries to follow when the season opens, and if the Lakers are finally on board with that idea, this season may turn out to be less painful than many of us believe.
But first, Jeremy Lin must put together a string of games that turns this blip on the radar into a trend. If he can do that, it might be the Lakers putting together a positive streak of their own.