Jeremy Lin Provides What Lakers Need Next Season

Jeremy Lin is looking forward to a new chapter of his basketball career as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Expectations will be high for the Asian-American star who had his breakthrough as a member of the New York Knicks three seasons ago. However, Lin stressed that Linsanity is just a part of his past as he aims to provide a better brand of basketball with the purple-and-gold.

Then again, several pundits and hardcore NBA fans are still pessimistic to the idea that Lin is a long-term solution to the Lakers, more so a piece to their championship puzzle. Averaging 12 points and 4 dimes last season with the Rockets, these numbers are not at par with other point guards who produced double the numbers of Lin's production.

Just days following his acquisition in a trade with the Rockets, there are reports that Lin would be just a one-and-done player for the Lakers, as the team seeks an elite point guard in next summer's free-agency.

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, Minnesota Timberwolves playmaker Ricky Rubio, Brooklyn Nets ball handler Deron Williams and even up-and-upcoming point guard Eric Rubio, who remains an unrestricted free-agent, are rumoured as the targets for the Lakers if the 'Lin experiment' does not pan out well.

Still, newly-hired Lakers head coach Byron Scott believed that Lin could be a better player than everyone expected. The former Lakers showtime guard thinks Lin's aggressiveness on the offensive end and competitiveness as a defender would bode pretty well for the new-look Lakers.

"The thing I like about Jeremy is that he's feisty," Scott said in an interview with Basketball Insider writer Alex Kennedy. "He's tough. He competes. I've coached against him in a number of games, so I know how he is. He's a competitor. The point guard position in this league today, on the defensive end, is vital."

Moreover, Lin will finally have the opportunity to learn from two of the most successful elders in the league: Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Back when he was in New York, Lin never had a mentor type of a player that could help him polish his game.

Well, he could have a chance to play alongside Jason Kidd with the Knicks during the 2012-13 season, but he decision to take bigger money with the Rockets put him in a situations where he had to assume the role as 25-year-old veteran of a very young team.

With the Lakers, Lin is ecstatic for having a chance to practice with Nash, whom he was compared to during his pick-and-roll days in New York. At 40-years old, Nash might not be as effective as he was during his MVP run with Phoenix, but he can provide invaluable tips to Lin on how to control the game and become a more potent passer. Kobe, who is notoriously known for competitiveness, will surely motivate Lin to push the envelope every single game.

After two up-and-down seasons in Texas, Lin is staring at greatness under the mentorship of Scott, Bryant and Nash. Though it's an exaggeration to think he can be an elite point guard soon, Lin will nevertheless provide what the Lakers need at present - and that's consistency at the point guard spot.

Thus, if every piece of the puzzle falls in place, Lin might be the long-term solution for a Laker team seeking a championship in the next two seasons.

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