New York Knicks: Jeremy Lin The Ideal Backup To Derrick Rose

3. Pick & Roll Offense

No play is more synonymous with Jeremy Lin’s success than the pick-and-roll. Mike D’Antoni‘s offense wasn’t identical to Jeff Hornacek’s, but the latter utilizes the play in heavy doses within his scheme.

Lin’s bread and butter is the play that point guards most commonly run under coach Hornacek—and in the NBA in general—and that alone is reason to be intrigued.

As previously alluded to, Lin averaged 18.2 points and 5.4 assists per 36 minutes when Kemba Walker was off the court. That was a reflection of Lin handling the ball more often, and thus being trusted to make plays for himself and others.

That’s backed up by the numbers, as Lin had a usage rate of 19.1 percent with Walker on the court and 26.1 percent without him.

Lin’s ability to selflessly play alongside another point guard is a genuine strength of his game, but he’s a threat to create every time he touches the ball. He’s a master at coming off of a high screen, turning the corner, and getting into the paint, and is quite capable of racking up assists.

Lin may not be the best overall facilitator in the NBA, but he’s lethal when given the freedom to run the pick-and-roll.

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