Jeremy Lin is clearly expected to be the guard that the Los Angeles Lakers can count on most of all going into the season, so it is a relief for the team that he was able to make a return after his ankle injury.
Lin missed three games after spraining his left ankle last week. The young point guard made his return last night in a game against the Phoenix Suns, which the Lakers lost 114-108.
Injuries kept the Lakers' original starting point guard Steve Nash on the reserve list rather than on the court much of last season. This trend continued this year after Nash hurt his back lifting his luggage earlier in the preseason.
Lakers Head Coach Byron Scott has since said that he believes that Lin will be the preferred starter for much of the year because of this. Interestingly, Scott instead decided to start Ronnie Price against the Suns, a decision that he defended before the game started.
"There's no thought process right now," Scott said, per ESPN. "Ronnie has been playing, Jeremy hasn't. So he's going to have to come in tonight and get his feet wet again and we'll go from there."
The Lakers had a frustrating night as the loss came in overtime after Wesley Johnson missed two free throws at the end of regulation that would have won the game.
But if fans of Los Angeles are looking for anything to get excited about, it has to be Lin's performance. Lin managed to put up great numbers with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds. If there was any doubt about him being a critical part of this franchise's success in the season they are surely gone.
Lin's antics even earned him the praise of his most notable teammate.
"Jeremy makes a huge difference," said Kobe Bryant, per the OC Register. Bryant and Lin meshed well in this game, another sign that Lin is the go to person come the start of games that actually matter. To be fair though, Bryant also remained critical. "A little rusty in the first half, I thought, but I thought his energy was great and I thought his effort was great."
It is important to note that the preseason is almost always about testing the waters with team consistency and effort. Even though the Lakers have not had the most compelling resume going strictly by their record in the preseason, there are still things to be positive about.
"I'm just trying to stay aggressive the whole game and make plays," Lin said, per NBA.com. "That's kind of how I like to play, so as long as I continue to do that, I feel like, throughout time or overtime, things will open up- the floor will open up. Especially as a point guard, you can just score all the time."
