Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin is dealing with his share of doubters and cynics right now in his career. Some is warranted, some is just people not believing in his skills.
Lin finally had the game he wanted last night going off for 36 points and 7 assist in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Lin can gain confidence in know a certain guard in the NBA had the same struggles he’s currently going through.
Spurs star guard Tony Parker experienced the same struggles Lin is having right now, and Parker told the Houston Chronicle that “Jeremy Lin reminds him of a young Tony Parker.”
“His shot will come,” Parker said. “Me too. I couldn’t hit a shot at the beginning of my career. I was still able to go to the basket. His shot will improve. It will help, definitely, his game. Definitely. When I start making the outside jumper on a consistent basis, that’s when I was more consistent with my performance.”
“It’s his first full year,” Parker said. “There is a lot of attention on him. I think you have to be patient with his growth. When I first came into the league, I was a little raw. I was very aggressive. At the same time, I had to learn the point guard position and when to score, when to pass and try to find that happy middle, find the balance. I think Jeremy Lin is at that point. He’s trying to find his position on the team. And he needs to fit with another guy who is very aggressive with James Harden. I had to do the same thing when I had Manu Ginobili being super aggressive. You have to find your spots. He will.”
in what is eerily similar in the two guards early career starts, their stats are kind of close.
Through his first 83 career games, Lin has made 42.1 percent of his shots, while averaging 9.4 points per game, in an average of 22.1 minutes per game.
Through 83 career games, Parker made 42.1 percent of his shots, averaging 10.2 points per game in an average of 31.7 minutes.
I think the comparison ends there. Parker made big shots at extremely important times, and most important contributed to a Spurs championship.