Coming off two great scoring nights, Jeremy Lin looks to continue his good form as the Los Angeles Lakers play against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
It might be a little too late for the Lakers to make a playoff push but for the 26-year old Lin his season is just starting to get interesting.
Averaging at least 10 points and 4 assists before All-Star break, Lin is having a mini-Linsanity run in the Lakers past two games. Between the game against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Boston Celtics, Lin averaged 21.5 points and 4 dimes per game while shooting 67 percent from the field in just under 25 minutes per game. Moreover, the former Harvard standout is playing with more aggression and tenacity on both ends of the floor now compared to his listless showings the first three months.
Lin credited his recent form to better spacing and more opportunities to run his bread-and-butter pick-and-roll plays with Lakers big men. But with his current contract expiring at the end of the season, there's definitely a lot of incentive for Lin to turn things around and make his case in the final 27 games before he hits the free-agency market this summer.
On Wednesday, Lin will be playing against a team that's also having a turnaround on the defensive end since trading away center Enes Kanter to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rudy Gobert, who assumed the starting spot right after Kanter's departure, has played a big role in the Jazz's defensive renaissance that resulted to big wins against Western Conference elites (San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, and New Orleans Pelicans).
After allowing 102.3 points per game on 48.3 percent shooting in the first 25 games, the Jazz has been stifling teams to just 93.4 points per game on 43.2 percent in their last 30 games (15-15). Gobert's shot-blocking skills (2.2 blocks per game) and the ability to alter shots with his 7'8 ½ wingspan gives the Jazz a defensive powerhouse they can rely on in the middle.
"Rudy's been very good and (he) has an impact. It's more than Rudy," Snyder said via ESPN. "I'm taking nothing away from Rudy's presence. And his impact is significant. ... (But) everybody's trying to do their part. When you get that, it's no one player."
Lin, who recorded just six points on 30 percent shooting in his previous meeting with the Jazz, is expected to play more minutes behind starter Jordan Clarkson with Ronnie Price likely missing the remainder of the season with an elbow injury.
