Jeremy Lin rates 77 overall in Start Bench Cut, as one of the game's one-hit wonders. That rating comes from one season only: 2011–12, the Linsanity winter in New York. That year he averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 assists and 1.6 steals. Few runs in NBA history drew more attention.
Why he rates 77
His best skill is playmaking (PLY 82). Lin ran the pick-and-roll like a starter from his first night in the rotation, and the assists held up for the whole stretch. Scoring (SCO 71) is solid rather than elite: he got to the rim and the line, but turnovers and middling efficiency pull it down. Defense rates 75, helped by the steals, and rebounding is a guard's 65.
Most one-hit wonders look better in memory than in the box score. Lin's numbers really were starter-level for one season, which is why his card can win games and not just headlines.
The season
- Undrafted out of Harvard in 2010, he was waived twice before landing on the end of the Knicks bench.
- He came off the bench against the Nets on February 4, 2012, and scored 25. New York started him the next game.
- He scored 38 against Kobe Bryant's Lakers on February 10, and hit a game-winning three in Toronto four days later.
- He signed a large contract with Houston that summer and played nine more seasons, including a title with the 2019 Raptors.
Start, bench or cut?
In a One-hit wonders draft, Lin shows up next to two regular 2010s point guards. Against a deep 2010s point guard pool he is usually a bench, and starting him over a true star is how you lose a round. Dealt next to a role-player point guard, though, he is a reasonable start: his playmaking keeps an offense moving, and that matters in the sim.
FAQ
Is Jeremy Lin rated on his whole career?
No. One-hit wonders are rated on their one famous season, on the same scale as everyone else. For Lin that is 2011–12.
What is Jeremy Lin's best rating in Start Bench Cut?
Playmaking, at 82. That is close to the level of an All-Star point guard.
Can I play Jeremy Lin in the normal mode?
Not right now. He appears in One-hit wonders mode, which slips one one-hit wonder into every round.