Written by Nick Agar-Johnson (@NBAJohnson) on 17 March 2017
Jeremy Lin did not receive a single Division I college scholarship to play basketball. It sounds ridiculous in hindsight, but Lin has flown under the radar since long before his Linsanity days. Despite being named to California's First Team All-State, no Division I school thought he was worth any more consideration than as a potential walk-on.
Lin instead went to Harvard (a school without athletic scholarships) and excelled in every facet of the game. After being named to the Second Team All-Ivy League as a sophomore, he caught fire in his junior year. Lin was 10th or better in the Ivy League in scoring (third), rebounding (10th), assists (second), steals (first), field goal percentage (sixth), free throw percentage (ninth), and three-point percentage (eighth). He also was 11th in blocks per game, and easily made First Team All-Ivy League.
Lin received another First Team All-Ivy nod as a senior and was one of the 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award for best college point guard. Lin played fantastic basketball in the two biggest games of his college career, leading Harvard to an upset win over #17 Boston College as a junior with 27 points, eight assists, and six rebounds and nearly leading the team to victory over the #12 Connecticut Huskies while putting up 30 points and nine rebounds.
Once again, however, Lin was overlooked by everyone at the next level. He went undrafted after his senior season but secured a contract with the Golden State Warriors after showcasing an effective floor game for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2010 Summer League. Lin played 29 games for the Warriors in 2010-2011 in between D-League stints with the Reno Bighorns before being waived in the offseason.
Lin was signed by the Houston Rockets on December 12, 2011, only to be waived shortly afterward without playing in a single game. He was signed by the Knicks on December 27 but played only 55 minutes prior to February 4. Out of desperation, the Knicks were forced to start Lin because basically all of their other guards were injured. He put up 25 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, and started the Linsanity craze that captivated the nation.
Still, the Knicks allowed him to go to the Houston Rockets in free agency. This was Lin's second stint in Houston, and he started all 82 games in his first full season as a member of the Rockets. Although he was not as successful as he was in New York, Lin was still a more than capable starter for a Houston team that made the playoffs.
Daryl Morey spoke about Jeremy Lin in part of his interview with Michael Lewis for Lewis' most recent book "The Undoing Project" and was shockingly candid about his views on Lin's abilities: "He lit up our model," said Morey. "Our model said take him with, like, the 15th pick in the draft. A year after the Houston Rockets failed to draft Jeremy Lin, they began to measure the speed of a player’s first two steps: Jeremy Lin had the quickest first move of any player measured. He was explosive and was able to change direction far more quickly than most NBA players. "He’s incredibly athletic," said Morey. "But the reality is that every person, including me, thought he was unathletic."
Lin spent a fruitless year in Los Angeles for the Lakers after the Rockets effectively traded him to unload salary. He signed a two-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets for $4.2 million, with the goal of rehabilitating his value around the league. Charlotte quickly realized that they had found a bargain.
The Charlotte Hornets were supposed to be a bad team last season. The Westgate book in Las Vegas set the over-under for their wins total at 32.5 prior to the start of the season. They were expected to win with their defense, but star defender Michael Kidd-Gilchrist played in only seven games. Courtney Lee, another solid defensive piece, played just 28 games in Charlotte.
Instead of falling apart, the Hornets shocked the league by going 48-34 and finishing in a four-way tie for third place. Everyone heaped praise on the star backcourt of Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum and lauded the bounce-back season from Marvin Williams.
Jeremy Lin might not have received as many accolades as those three, but he nonetheless was a huge factor in Charlotte's success last season. He had a Net Rating of 2.7 — better than every bench player on the roster besides Jeremy Lamb and Al Jefferson per NBA.com. His Defensive Rating of 100.4 was also better than the team's overall mark of 101.8 despite playing many of his minutes with Jefferson, a notoriously bad defender. Lin allowed 0.878 points per possession last season per Synergy Sports, exactly league average.
Lin led a Charlotte bench that was 9th in the NBA in scoring in 2015-2016. Whether he was playing with starters or bench units, he used the explosive speed that Daryl Morey discussed to drive to the rim. Once he sliced his way through the defense, he could score effectively or find teammates cutting to the rim through the space Lin had created: