Kenny Atkinson has a good feel for Jeremy Lin.
The Brooklyn Nets coach was with him five years ago with the New York Knicks, the then-assistant coach working together with the hungry young player at the end of the bench before a midseason surge that made him a global phenomenon.
So now reunited with the Nets as head coach and point guard, Atkinson feels the time is right for Lin to add a new dimension to his game – lead a team.
“I think it’s the right time of his career,” Atkinson said. “I think he’s smart enough and will grow into being a better leader as this thing goes on.”
The first-year head coach is entrusting Lin with that responsibility and Lin says he’s up for the challenge.
“I definitely feel a much stronger responsibility for this leadership role than I did in my last two-three teams,” Lin said. “I feel like a lot of it is going to fall on me and Brook [Lopez] setting the tone every day in workouts, every day when we work.”
He’s taking it seriously and making an impression on the collection of young Nets that have been regularly working out at HSS Training Center all summer. But for a team establishing a new culture, leadership extends beyond the court, from diet to dealing with the media.
“How we live off the court, and how we take care of our bodies: how we eat, sleep, everything. We’re going to have to set the tone,” Lin said. “So there’s definitely more of natural leadership position that I’ve been thrust into. I’ve been telling my family and friends that’s what I’ve known my whole life as a basketball player and that’s what I’m comfortable with.”
He’s certainly made an impression on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who said Lin has an “energy about him” and Sean Kilpatrick, who’s found more confidence just by Lin having confidence in him. For a team as young as the Nets, having a veteran to rally behind is important.
Expanding his role and adding that leadership dimension is one of the things that drew Lin to the Nets. He said he sought the best fit above all else.
“I just wanted to find something going forward that was the best fit for me,” Lin said. “With Kenny being here with this team, where it is, I just felt like this is a place that I feel like I can really go and be myself as a player on the court.”
Who he is on the court is an energetic shooter and ball distributor with a sound defensive game. Lin averaged 16.1 points per 36 minutes last season and averaged the second-most blocks-per-game (0.54) last season among point guards. He’s tough, hustles and embodies the type of hard-nosed player that the team is building an identity around.
Lin has been an every-day starter in the NBA before, but this role is new. Atkinson thinks he’s ready and if there’s one person who has a feel for Lin, it’s the coach.
“You’re kind of the quarterback, the Eli Manning, those guys have a different level of responsibility and that’s new to him,” Atkinson said. “It’s a heck of a challenge, but he’s prepared for it.”