Jeremy Lin gave the Knicks a shot of Linsanity last night in Charlotte, dropping 26 on his former team in a 97-84 Hornets victory. Lin penetrated constantly, getting fouled and going 10-of-10 from the line. Line also drove and dished, getting assists on buckets inside and outside. (He finished with five assists and five rebounds.) Here’s the simple equation with Lin: when he gets time, he performs. Plain and simple. Jeremy Lin gets into the lane as well as any guard this side of Paul and Parker — no exaggeration. And he has great court vision as he penetrates. If he could up his shooting percentage (7-of-17) he’d give even more fits than he does to defenses.
Why did Lin play so well? Because he had his spot locked up: Lin played 40 minutes as the Hornets were playing without Nic Batum, Jeremy Lamb, Al Jefferson and Cody Zeller. Kemba Walker (7-of-25) couldn’t shoot straight either. Lin was game-high +23, despite committing five turnovers. (Chalk those up to hyper-aggressive play.) Charlotte has to wonder — as Lin fans always do — what would happen if they utilized Lin this prominently when they weren’t decimated by injury.
