The Los Angeles Lakers were able to upgrade the point guard position this summer by acquiring Jeremy Lin from the Houston Rockets. Along with Lin having the opportunity to become a starter in Los Angeles, the 25-year-old is anxious to learn from future Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.
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Lin said the following about the prospect of playing alongside Nash and Kobe in an interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders:
“It’s really exciting,” Lin said of playing with Bryant and Nash. “What can’t you learn from them? People have been asking that question a lot, and it’s kind of, like, I want to learn everything. Kobe is a little different just because he’s a different position, but there’s just so much from a mental aspect and from like a recovery standpoint and so many different things like footwork [that he can teach me]. There are things that both of them can teach me, so I’m actually really, really excited. I’m hoping our team gets out there early or something before camp so I can start spending more time with them right away.”
With Lin being forced to come off the bench after Patrick Beverly was made the starter in Houston, the Harvard product has a chip on his shoulder heading into his first season with the Lakers. It remains uncertain at this point if Lin will be the starter under head coach Byron Scott, but the consensus seems to be that he’s got a decent shot to land the starting job.
After Nash played in only 15 games for the Lakers last season, the rumors began to circulate that the team was considering using the stretch provision on the veteran floor general. Fortunately for Nash, the Lakers will not being waive the two-time NBA MVP and as a result he’ll be able to play out the last season of his career in Los Angeles.
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Nash recently let it be known that he intends to retire after the 2014-15 NBA season. It’d be safe to assume that he’ll be taking on more of a mentor role next season, taking Lin and rookie Jordan Clarkson under his wing.
As for Lin, the journeyman has the perfect opportunity to have a bounce back year in Los Angeles while learning how to take his game to the next level from learning from Kobe and Nash.
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Kobe Bryant’s Message To Jeremy Lin
