Los Angeles Lakers’ Jeremy Lin, left, puts up a shot against Phoenix Suns’ Earl Barron during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif. (File photo/AP Photo)

For a player that has become weary of the hype surrounding him, Jeremy Lin has still lived up to it. No, “Linsanity” hasn’t returned to the Lakers. At least not yet. But he has made enough of a difference that Lin will start in the Lakers’ season opener tonight against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center.

Granted, Lin dutifully noted that he is starting partly because of a season-ending injury to Steve Nash (back) and a less severe injury to Ronnie Price (right knee). Lakers coach Byron Scott had also favored Price for most of exhibition play for reasons including Lin’s recent left ankle injury, Price’s experience and Lin’s secondary scoring helping a depleted Lakers bench. But Scott made it clear the starting point guard position is fluid.

Yet, it appears Lin has the tools eventually to keep the spot permanently. He has closed out fourth quarters. Lin and Kobe Bryant thus far have shown a good balance between both ball handling duties and scoring. Lin’s aggressive mentality in attacking the basket has both created easy baskets and opened the floor for others. All of this sparked Magic Johnson to endorse Lin on Twitter.

This all became a topic of discussion recently on Time Warner Cable’s Access SportsNet where host Chris McGee, analyst Dave Miller and I talked about Lin’s presence with the Lakers thus far.

RELATED:

Lakers’ Jeremy Lin downplays starting against Rockets after they traded him

Lakers’ Byron Scott questions Dwight Howard’s championship mindset

Kobe Bryant the latest Lakers legend to take on Father Time

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

New Laker Jeremy Lin talks about the upcoming season before signing autographs for fans at a shoe store in Culver City. SCOTT VARLEY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Lakers cannot seem to stay healthy even when they are not playing games.

Lakers guard Jeremy Lin tweaked his right ankle in individual drills during Thursday’s morning shootaround, adding doubt to whether he can return Sunday against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. Lin has also stayed out of the Lakers’ last two preseason games because of a previously sprained left ankle.

Lin stayed attached to an electronic stimulation machine following Friday’s practice before completing some light shooting drills.

“Me and this stim manchine are best friends,” Lin said. “Every day, all the time. We’ve been doing a lot of therapy multiple times a day.”
Continue reading “Lakers’ Jeremy Lin tweaks right ankle, still hopes to play Sunday vs. Utah” »

“New Los Angeles Lakers player Jeremy Lin signs autographs for fans at a shoe store in Culver City, CA on Thursday, September 25, 2014. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze) “

You read about Lakers guard Jeremy Lin wanting to become a complete player. You read about Lin providing positive reports on Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash after playing a handful of pickup games with them this offseason. You read about Lin using his time off from an extensive training and travel schedule to make goofy videos.

But pictures always tell a 1,000 words. And in the case of LANG’s photo gallery of Lin’s appearance at the Foot Locker at Westfield Mall in Culver City on Thursday, plenty of images tell various stories.

RELATED:

Jeremy Lin makes video parodies to unwind

Lakers’ Jeremy Lin hopes to morph into complete player

Jeremy Lin gushes about health of Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash

Lakers depth chart breakdown: Jeremy Lin

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com

“New Los Angeles Lakers player Jeremy Lin talks about the upcoming season before signing autographs for fans at a shoe store in Culver City, CA on Thursday, September 25, 2014. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze) “

The extensive resumes that leave little doubt both Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash will eventually find their name plastered inside the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Yet, both Bryant and Nash enter the 2014-15 season with plenty to prove toward a skeptical general public.

The unanswered and pressing question: can Bryant and Nash both play effectively and stay healthy after staying ravaged last season by injuries? No one, including Bryant and Nash, know for sure. But they have provided enough signs this offseason to leave the Lakers cautiously optimistic about their durability.

“They both look really good and really healthy,” Lakers guard Jeremy Lin said Thursday at the Foot Locker in Westfield Mall at Culver City, both to promote his Adidas shoes and sign autographs for fans. That’s the biggest thing for us. Health is going to be a huge factor for us this upcoming season. They were moving well and looked much better than they did last year.”
Continue reading “Jeremy Lin gushes about health of Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash” »

Lakers introduce newest player Jeremy Lin to the gathered media at the Toyota Sports Center training facility in El Segundo. Photo by Brad Graverson/The Daily Breeze/ 07/24/14″

Below is the eighth in a series previewing the story lines surrounding each player on the Lakers’ roster for the 2014-15 season. This post focuses on Lakers guard Jeremy Lin.

1. Will Lin start at point guard? It would seem unthinkable two years ago to debate whether Steve Nash remains worthy of keeping his starting point guard spot. He has already etched a Hall of Fame resume that entails two regular-season MVP awards, a third-place standing on the NBA’s all time assists list and arguably the best point guard of this past generation. But after missing a combined 99 games the past two seasons through injuries to his left leg, back and hamstrings, Nash enters the 2014-15 season without much certainty on whether his improved health will prove enough to survive an 82-game season. Such issues could either prompt the Lakers to keep Nash as a starter just to ensure he stays fresh after warm ups or feature him as a reserve to minimize adjustments should he suffer another injury.

Meanwhile, Lin joins the Lakers eager to seek stability in an NBA career that took off with “Linsanity” in New York and plateaued the past two seasons with Houston amid evolving roles. Still, Lin offered plenty of positive signs in Houston. He posted career-highs last season in field-goal percentage from the field (44.6 percent), from three-point range (35.8 percent) and from the foul line (82.3 percent). Lin’s turnovers dropped to 2.5 per game after averaging 3.6 with the Knicks. According to ESPN, Lin shot 57.8 percent off drives last season, a mark that only trailed LeBron James (63.8 percent).

Will all those areas become enough for Lin to start at point guard? As of now, Lakers coach Byron Scott is favoring Nash. But that could easily change within the next month for reasons including Nash’s health and Lin’s talent level.
Continue reading “Lakers depth chart breakdown: Jeremy Lin” »