Jeremy Lin will be playing in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and from the looks of it, the 26-year-old forward will not just be one-year rental for the Lakers.
Lakers coach Byron Scott said in an interview with Mike Trudell of NBA.com that he expects Lin to become an effective player in his first year in Los Angeles, saying that "Linsanity" has the tools that would make a great fit to the team in the upcoming 2014-15 NBA season.
"Jeremy is a guy who I like," Scott said of Lin. "I coached against him, and I love that he's not afraid of the moment. He doesn't mind taking big shots, and he's very gritty, tough and intelligent. Those are all things I think will fit well with things we're trying to do."
Lin was traded to the Lakers in a trade with the Houston Rockets before Scott was named as coach. But while he had nothing to do with Lin's move to Los Angeles, Scott feels that Lin is the type of player that he is looking for, someone who can break the defense to create several scoring opportunities for his teammates.
"He's a triple threat type of player, and can be very effective out of pick and rolls as a result," Scott said. "He can shoot, finish at the rim or make plays for other guys."
Lin, who averaged 12.5 points to go along with 4.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game last season, could start at point guard next season especially if Steve Nash fails to stay healthy again.
The Lakers will look to bounce back after having a dismal year last season where they finished with a measly 27-55 record, which is one of the worst records in franchise history.
Scott, who replaced Mike D'Antoni after the veteran coach stepped down from his post earlier in the offseason, is not expecting a drastic turnaround next season, but he is confident that the Lakers will surprise a lot of people.
"We know a lot of people aren't going to give us a chance, but we feel we're going to surprise a lot of people," said Scott, who became the seventh former Laker to coach the team.
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