The last place you would expect to find a 23-year-old Harvard graduate with a degree in economics is a basketball court, let alone playing as the starting point guard for the New York Knicks.
Who knew the best thing to happen to the New York Knicks this season would be that Carmelo Anthony got injured, and the team actually played better?
For the past two weeks Jeremy Lin has been one of the best players in the NBA, and though it is unclear whether he will eventually fade into obscurity, his ascent to the top of the NBA is faster than any player to come before him. Even if it’s only for the time being, Lin has been nothing short of incredible.
The story of Lin is something a movie couldn’t even script. The way Lin has defied odds at every level he has competed is the stuff of American heroes. The undrafted Chinese-American point guard did not receive any scholarships coming out of high school.
After playing for four years at Harvard, often the kiss of death for the contemporary college basketball player trying to make the NBA, Lin bounced around the league, playing for the Reno Bighorns in the NBA Developmental League to the Warriors, to the Rockets, before landing in New York.
Suddenly, Lin is a young phenomenon playing in New York City under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. Lin has been out of his mind at 26.6 points and eight assists per game for the last five games, four of which he has started. More importantly, the Knicks have won each of those five games.
It’s no secret that fans of New York basketball have been seeking the next great point guard since, well, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, who led the Knicks to the franchise’s only two NBA Championships in 1970 and 1973. [According to the Wall Street Journal](http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/02/11/jeremy-lin-on-his-fast-break-to-fame/), Lin’s jersey is already sold out at the Garden, and fans have been ridiculously chanting “MVP!” The way Knicks fans embrace Lin is the same way they embraced John Starks when the Knicks did battle against the likes of Michael Jordan or Reggie Miller.
Lin’s takedown of the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday was magnificent. He outscored Kobe Bryant 38-34, and while Lin had six turnovers, he energized the crowd in a way to which neither Anthony nor Amar’e Stoudemire have been able. By the way, Anthony and Stoudemire didn’t play Friday.
I’m not suggesting the Knicks are suddenly a title contender, but Lin’s ability to find his niche in professional basketball is truly admirable. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s job might be safe for the time being, but Lin represents the best point guard D’Antoni has had since he helped Steve Nash become a two-time MVP in Phoenix.
If Lin can continue to execute D’Antoni’s run-and-gun system, the Knicks will continue to prosper. That being said, Lin, playing in a major international city as a person with Chinese decent, can be what Yao Ming was never quite able to become in his injury shortened NBA career: a star of Asian decent who has the ability to one day win an NBA championship. That’s the hope.
The most remarkable part of the Lin legend is how an individual with such great odds stacked against him can achieve extraordinary success in a field not typically pursued by an Ivy Leaguer.
Even if it’s only for the time being, how many Harvard graduates are able to say that?
