Jeremy Lin is already dealing immense pressure just four regular-season games with the Los Angeles Lakers. According to First Take analyst Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, things will get even tougher for him in Lakerland, if he does not heed Kobe Bryant's advice for him to toughen up.
Lin, who was acquired by the Lakers in a trade with the Houston Rockets last season, has become the starting point guard for the Lakers after Steve Nash was ruled out of the season due to recurring back problem.
He was expected to thrive in a bigger role with the Lakers this season after spending a year as a backup for Patrick Beverley with the Rockets, but the Asian-American star has been inconsistent so far as he averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 dimes in 29 minutes of playing time for the purple-and-gold.
Lin's best game this season was against the Los Angeles Clippers, where he recorded 17 points and 9 dimes and even drew praises from superstar teammate Kobe Bryant for the toughness he showed late in the fourth quarter.
Bryant, who is averaging a team-high 24.8 points per game after missing a bulk of the past two season due to injuries, thinks his backcourt partner has to assert himself and show toughness under pressure, especially if he's playing with him.
"You have to be able to assert yourself," Bryant said of Lin in an interview. "especially on a team that I'm playing on - especially on a team I'm playing on. "Because I don't want chumps, I don't want pushovers. If you're a chump and a pushover, I will run over you."
"So it's important for him to have that toughness and to say no 'I believe in myself, I can step up I can make these plays I can perform' and I think that is very very important."
In a conversation between Bayless and Smith on First Take, the two veteran sports analysts believe Bryant is just doing the best way he can to toughen up Lin, who isn't much known for his ruggedness on the court.
"Kobe is the best thing for Lin because he will be on Lin's face all the time and Lin is going to step up to the challenge, embrace it and become a rough rider or he's going to will beneath the pressure, and he'll never make it," Smith said on ESPN First Take.
