Jeremy Lin played his best performance in purple-and-gold jersey, recording 21 points and 7 assists to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Charlotte Hornets 107-92 and take their first win after five straight losses to open the season on Sunday at Staples Center.
The 26-year old Lin was simply terrific for the Lakers, going 8-for-12 from the field and committed only one turnover in 33 minutes of action.
Byron Scott revealed that he had a conversation with Lin before the game about being aggressive on both ends of the floor, and his point guard responded in a big way.
"Guys weren't just looking to get the ball to Kobe and step out of the way," Scott said in an interview with ESPN. "I talked to Jeremy before the game about being more assertive on both ends of the floor.
Bryant, who also finished with 21 points on 7-for-20 shooting and four rebounds, has been encouraging his backcourt tandem to get used in taking big shots.
The future Hall of Famer believed the Asian-American standout has all the tools to become a big time player, saying it's just a matter of gaining more confidence for Lin to finally realize his full potential.
"I'll go out there and I'll leave on the floor everything, and compete and not be fearful of criticism or fearful of not playing well or missing shots," Bryant said of Lin via ESPN. "That's the same way I want the guys to play, Jeremy in particular, because he's a really good player. He's just getting used to playing with that kind of effort and attitude."
With his big performance on Monday, Lin bumped up his season average to 12.5 points, 5.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. He has now scored double-digit game for the second consecutive game, after scoring 18 points in a tough 112-106 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
