Jeremy Lin’s Pursuit of the NBA

I decided to watch the 2010 NBA Draft this year hoping to see Jeremy Lin getting drafted, especially by the L.A. Lakers. When the #43 and #58 had passed and Lin’s name wasn’t announced, I still had hope because I knew Lin still could still play in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League (and he got invited to play for the Mavs).

After game 1, Jeremy Lin finished his first game with 12 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block shot. I thought Jeremy had a good game and showed what I expected, which was fearlessly attacking the basket when he had the chance and trying to find the open teammate. He’s quicker than most people expect and plays aggressive defense.  I do think he needs to show that he has a consistent jumpshot, but that can always be developed and improved upon. Jeremy’s performance even got some recognition on ESPN.

Game 2 for Jeremy wasn’t as impressive, mainly because he didn’t receive as many minutes since the Mavs were playing their main guards. However, Jeremy got some nice comments from Hall-of-Fame NBA player Kevin McHale and current NBA TV analyst.

Some things I heard him say while watching Jeremy’s games were:

I like his defense, pretty good awareness, does a lot of good things.

Scrappy kid, Lin goes after it. I’ll tell you what, I do like that kid.

It’s really my first time seeing him. He’s really a guy that plays hard and got a nice feel for the game.

Jeremy Lin also isn’t the only player of Asian descent on a NBA Summer League roster. Sun Yue, former Laker and current member of the Chinese national team, was able to gain permission this year to leave training from Team China to play on the Washington Wizards, which also features #1 pick John Wall. The Mavs and Wizards are scheduled to play against each other on Thursday, July 15th at 8pm, and the game can be seen online for free!

Speaking of the Wizards, Yi Jianlian, the 2nd Chinese player currently in the NBA, was traded to the Washington Wizards, making it his 3rd team since being in the NBA. Yi also gets the chance to play alongside the #1 pick and another experienced head coach, Flip Saunders.

Though some people have mentioned that Jeremy Lin could be the first Asian-American to play in the NBA, technically, he would not be the first. That historical fact would go to Wataru (Wat) Misaka, and there were also multiracial NBA players like Rex Walters (who is half Japanese) and Raymond Townsend (who is half Filipino). For more video interviews with Lin, check out his Summer League diary.