Prior to Sunday’s game between the Mavericks and Knicks, Jason Terry was not yet a believer in Jeremy Lin. He still may not be, but Lin did his best to state his case with 28 points 14 assists during New York’s 104-97 win. Terry’s argument before the game, however, was that he would be riding the pine if he turned the ball over as much as Lin has. He also said Mike D’Antoni’s system is designed for any guard to succeed.
“I’ve been a point guard in this league and (45 turnovers in seven games) would have gotten me on the bench real fast,” Terry said according to the Star-Telegram. “He’s in D’Antoni’s system, and any player that plays a guard position in D’Antoni’s system has opportunities to be able to put up good numbers, and I think that’s what he’s been able to do. The ball’s in your hands a lot and you’re going to have turnovers.
“I think it’s a lot of hype right now. Is he going to be a good player in the future? If he continues to work, he will. But given the opportunity, he’s taken advantage of it. But everybody’s making a lot out of just the seven games he’s played.”
As we told you earlier today, Reggie Miller shares a similar opinion to Terry. But it is worth noting that the Knicks back court was virtually nonexistent before Lin started seeing regular minutes. Last I checked, D’Antoni was still the coach before Lin was inserted into the lineup. Lin will have to learn to be more careful with the ball, but if people aren’t going to give him credit for lighting up the scoreboard during a short stretch they shouldn’t fault him for turning the ball over. He’s still learning the NBA game and can only become more dangerous if he learns to limit mistakes.
