Jeremy Lin has struggled with the Lakers this season, and it’s something that Byron Scott hasn’t been afraid to reference on more than one occasion.
Scott did that again recently, in a longer piece discussing Lin’s struggle to make things work in Los Angeles.
But while it’s one thing to have your head coach provide honest and public feedback on your performance, it’s another entirely for one of your teammates to offer advice that he has rarely (if ever) considered taking himself.
From Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:Young believed Scott, Bryant and Lin all could have worked harder to make a more fruitful partnership. Yet, Young also offered a dose of irony, the high-volume shooter suggesting Lin could have become more effective had he adjusted to the team’s needs instead of his own.
“I know it’s his contract year, but he could’ve focused on passing a little bit more,” Young said of Lin. “Especially when Kobe was out there, [Jeremy] needed to drop dimes.”
Instead, the Lakers mostly believed Lin has tripped over his feet due to analysis paralysis.
“Just play basketball,” Scott said. “If you have a shot, take it. If you have a drive, take it. If you don’t, pass it. We make it harder than it should be. It’s not that hard.”
Ah, sweet irony.
Young, of course, hardly passes at all, and is known as a volume shooter above all else. His assessment isn’t necessarily wrong, because Lin plays the point guard position, and is expected to look to involve his teammates.
But with Young as the source, it has to be at least a little bit difficult for Lin to consider taking the advice seriously.