I don't get people who call Lin overrated, I just have to think it has to do with the opinion that he was overhyped after that Knicks run. This guy can be a very decent starter, he's already one of if not the best and most productive backups in the league.
He's never even been on a winning team, he's constantly surrounded by crappy teams, organizations, players. He's essentially a better version of Fred, so it's great that we get him while Fred is down because there is no loss there.
One thing that stands out to me about him is his in-between game. He plays the pick and roll very well, operates in the mid range and with floaters, puts defenders on his hip, good pull ups, he knows how to shift around screens and get a low base, he also averages good assist numbers from this because he generates kickouts off picks or backdoor passes. He reminds me of a lite version of Jrue Holiday.
We've needed a guy who can hit floaters and mid rangers off picks, we don't have a guard like that currently. Fred takes a little bit longer to set up his jumper, his inbetween game isn't as strong as Lin's. So I'm excited for this because we have people who operate in 3 point space, deep post, and now we have a guy for top of the key mid range operation where we can extend everyone out around it. Going to be real interesting.
He's crafty as well, can finish through contact, good isolation game. He averages 1.41 points per possession this year which puts him right next to Siakam and Karl Anthony Towns, Blake Griffin, and Dinwiddie. His true shooting percentage has him tied with Embiid, and right next to LeBron James. He's top 50 in the league in TS.
I like that he pushes as soon as he gets the ball, he helps speed up the tempo, he finishes well in transition and throws some nice alley oop lobs, sure some of that is by design since the Hawks have one of the highest paces in the league, but it shows he's a well conditioned athlete and he can help us push the ball more by setting the tempo as the lead guard off the bench, we have enough athletes that we should be running consistently, and we're very good at finishing on the fast break.
He gives us an additional shot creator which we've needed, he's a team guy with a great attitude, and there is the added benefit that he's going to create an Asian buzz around Toronto like never before. The whole city is going to be rallying behind he and the Gasol acquisitions, which will vault our morale to championship level. The game vs BKN was the loudest I've heard this crowd in a long time when Gasol went on that wild run. I had goosebumps when he hit that 3 and turned around and yelled to himself, the last time that happened to me was when Mo Pete hit that magical three against the Wiz, I became so desensitized in recent years and I'm glad to have my excitement back like when I was a kid and VC was dunking all over people.
per 36:
2016 shot chart:
TS% (sparkling this year):