Jeremy Lin might be having the most erratic season one could possibly imagine, but some NBA analysts still believe the Asian-American star could still turn into an important piece for the Los Angeles Lakers moving forward, even beyond Kobe Bryant's era.
ESPN Los Angeles NBA writer Arash Markazi had a chance to talk about the future makeup of the Lakers roster after Bryant retirement on the latest episode of the Forum, and he claimed that young players like Lin and Nick Young may stick around even no.24 is already gone.
"There's a lot of good young talent on his team," Markazi stressed. "Obviously, they need a superstar at some point in the future, but Young is a good role player in this team. I think Lin could be a good role player as well.
Lin, playing in the final year of his contract that pays him roughly $15MM ($8M against the salary cap), has been a disappointment in the eyes of most Lakers fans, who expected him to play at par with the level he showed during his time with the New York Knicks three years ago.
Averaging at least 10 points and 4 assists per game, the 26-year old Lin had some amazing moments in purple-and-gold jersey, although there were also times when he appeared passive and out of place.
Lakers head coach Byron Scott handed over the starting duty to Lin right after Steve Nash suffered a season-ending back injury in the preseason. However, after just 20 games with the starting unit, Scott decided to place Lin back to the second unit and field a tougher and more defensive oriented first five with veteran Ronnie Price assuming the starting point guard role.
While his defense remains a suspect, the former Harvard standout has been outplaying Price the past few games, averaging 9.8 points on 40 percent field shooting (44 percent from the 3-pt line) along with 3.4 assists in just 21 minutes over the last five games.
Scott is still openly questioning his toughness and consistency. Then again, Lin keeps rolling with the punches amid the tremendous criticisms he's been receiving.
Whether the Lakers will try to re-sign Lin this coming summer, it all depends on the negotiation between his representative and the team's front-office if the still want to continue their partnership on a cheaper but still competitive contract (likely a mid-level contract worth $5MM-$7MM per season).
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