Jeremy Lin wore No. 7 as a rookie with the Warriors, and he wore No. 7 during his most-recent underwhelming seasons with the Rockets.
Between, he donned No. 17 for the Knicks while capturing everyone’s imagination during Linsanity.
The Lakers hope that magic returns, and they’re giving him the number he wore when the Harvard-groomed, Asian-American pick-and-roll specialist dominated the league.
.@JLin7 will wear #17 for the Lakers. pic.twitter.com/1zCmUuhzPq
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 24, 2014
I’m wary of Lin moving the needle much on the court, especially in the stacked West. The Lakers, including Lin, are a collection of ill-fitting and mediocre pieces who probably wouldn’t even make the playoffs in the East.
And they don’t have a coach.
But as much as winning would serve this goal beyond all else, the Lakers are in decent shape to entertain – and sell tickets – next season. Putting Lin in No. 17, even if the impact is minimal, furthers that agenda more than any other number would have.
Expect a lot of No. 17 Lakers jerseys to sell.
