Jeremy Lin is excited to join the Los Angeles Lakers, but the 25-year-old point guard insisted that he will not try to recreate his famous "Linsanity" moment that happened during his stint with the New York Knicks.
Lin became in an instant star from being a relatively unknown player when he had a stretch of excellent performances with the Knicks during the 2011-12 season.
Now that he will be playing with another popular basketball team, Lin insisted that he is not looking to duplicate his historic feat, saying that he will just play like he is used to without thinking of personal accolades.
"I'm not trying to relive that banner season," Lin said via ESPN Los Angeles. "I think that's been a big weight off my shoulders, and I think that's very important for me as a player. I'm not trying to recreate a 'Linsanity.' I'm not trying to be that phenomenon that happened in New York. I think I just want to be myself more than ever."
Lin, who averaged 12.5 points and 4.1 assists last season with the Houston Rockets, was traded to the Lakers along with a future first-round pick for the rights to international player Sergei Lishchuk.
Lin feels that he is now a more complete player compared to 2012 when he was still with the Knicks, and he is hoping that he can help the Lakers bounce back from a disastrous performance last season.
The former Harvard University standout is expected to get strong consideration for the starting point guard spot especially if veteran Steve Nash remains unhealthy.
Lin said that he is indeed capable of starting for any team, but the Palo Alto, California native is not thinking about it, saying that starting a game is not important as long as he contribute to the team when he is on the court.
"If you asked me, or I think if you asked any player, I think they'll believe that they're capable of starting," Lin said. "But I think if there's anything I've learned from this past year, it's really not that much about who starts. I think it's more about who finishes and how you play with the time that you're given."
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
