After six seasons, five teams, 369 games and one explosive run as an international phenomenon, Jeremy Lin is still searching for the right place where he can find the best of Jeremy Lin.
A few weeks ago, the Harvard University graduate was interviewed before an audience while visiting the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, People’s Republic of China.
Having opted out of the second season of a two-year contract with the Charlotte Hornets, Lin spoke of his goals as he prepared to test the free agency waters for the second season in a row.
“I’m tired of boxes, I’m tired of moving companies, and I want to find a home,” said Lin. “And if you asked me what I want out of free agency, I want to see how good I can become.”
A few days later, Lin met with the Nets and found the place he wanted to be; the place he felt he could find those answers. He wasted little time letting everybody know where he was headed, Tweeting out a graphic of himself in a Nets uniform on July 1.
It’s been over four years since Lin, just a few weeks removed from the D-League, made himself famous around the globe. On Feb. 4, 2012, he came off the Knicks’ bench to score 25 points with seven assists in a win over the Nets. Starting the next game against Utah, he put up 28 points with eight assists. Four nights later, he torched the Lakers for 38 points.
Over a 10-game stretch Lin averaged 22.5 points and 9.2 assists, and somewhere in there, Linsanity was born. The 6-foot-3 point guard finished the season averaging 14.6 points and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the field.
Lin moved on to the Houston Rockets as a free agent that summer and posted similar numbers while starting all 82 games in 2012-13. After two years in Houston and one with the Lakers, he signed with Charlotte last summer.
Working as a combo guard primarily off the bench – Lin started 13 of the 78 games he played in – he averaged 11.7 points, 3.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds for a Hornets team that finished tied for third in the Eastern Conference with a 48-34 record. Seeded sixth in the playoffs, Charlotte battled the Miami Heat to a seventh game before their season ended in the first round. Lin scored 18 points in Game 3 and 21 in Game 4, then contributed 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds in Game 5 as the Hornets took a 3-2 series lead after dropping the first two games.
Now Lin is on his way back to New York City. He’ll have the opportunity to claim the starting point guard spot, with a team of his own to run. It’s the chance he’s been looking for, a place to find the answers he needs.