Jeremy Lin becoming a Laker is something that probably no one predicted. But when the deal that sends the 4-year veteran to Hollywood from the Houston Rockets has been finalized, one thing that fans are sure of is that the undrafted guard out of Harvard will learn a lot of things from the veterans of the Los Angeles Lakers, especially Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Lin, 26, had his flashes of brilliance when he rose to stardom while with the New York Knicks two years ago. In 2012, he became the first NBA player to score at least 20 points and have seven assists in each of his first five starts. The Taiwanese-American basketball star have something to say when it comes to offense. However, in his new team, Kobe wants him to excel in a different department, defense.
In a post by Bleacher Report NBA senior writer Kevin Ding, Bryant opened up about taking Jeremy Lin under his wings. He said that he sees a lot of upside on his new teammate. One department that he wants Lin to focus on is defense.
"Jeremy's biggest challenge, which he loves, is that I'm really going to challenge him to be a great defensive player-because he can," Bryant said. "He has the speed, he has the length, he has the size. He has never had to take on that challenge, but I think he can be a great defensive player."
Jeremy Lin, Lakers - both have problem in their defense, especially last season. In his stint with the Houston Rockets, Lin came with so much fanfare but was buried in the bench later on because of his subpar defense. He was then replaced by Patrick Beverley in the starting line-up. The team will definitely need each player to up their guarding skills.
"It's just nice to have somebody who's pushing me and helping me, teaching me the tricks," Lin said of Kobe. "It's also nice when he's one of the best to ever do it, even on the defensive end."
"He cares about all the little things," Lin said. "It's like the stuff that he talks to me about, I didn't ever think about it. Little stuff. I'm, like, 'Oh, OK. That's one way to look at it.' He's challenging me to expand my perspective.
"I think that's really important, and that's something that I love doing. It's a blessing that he's here in the same locker room."
Let's see how will the Kobe Bryant-Jeremy Lin-Lakers force will fare this season.
