The NBA season is still going strong, despite the injuries of many superstar players. Due to injuries many players have been sitting out, which actually gives rookie players more opportunities to shine on the court.
The New York Knicks has had to do without Carmelo Anthony with a groin injury, and Amare Stoudemire with family issues. As a result, Jeremy Lin has actually increased the team’s popularity and his own with his star performances. Beforehand, he had been benched most of the time. He has had the most points in a player’s first four starts in NBA history, propelling him to superstardom. In addition, he has racked up a lot of points, rebounds, and assists in the last four games. Lin has had an average of about twenty-two points and seven rebounds per game, as well as a field goal percentage of fifty for this month.
He carried his team to a victory against the superstar Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers last Friday night in The Garden (Knicks’ home stadium). Lin also won last Tuesday’s game with only a second left on the clock. With twenty-seven points this game, it was his sixth straight game he carried the Knicks to a win. He was also named player of the week this along with Russell Westbrook.
“I’m not playing to prove anything to anybody,” says Lin. “That affected my game last year and my joy last year. With all the media attention, all the love from the fans, I felt I needed to prove myself, prove that I’m not a marketing tool. I’m not a ploy to improve attendance. Prove I can play in this league. But I’ve surrendered that to God. I’m not in a battle with what everybody else thinks anymore.”
His former teammate, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, said, “I know he’s a humble guy who works hard every day whether he’s playing 40 minutes or 4 minutes, so that will never change.”
Even though Lin has been doing really well, he still admits he faces a constant struggle. He has many fans went from being unknown to the most-talked-about player within only a month (five to six games).
“There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now,” Lin says. “To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But that’s not how I want to do things anymore. I’m thinking about how can I trust God more? How can I surrender more? How can I bring him more glory?”
“It’s a fight. But it’s one I’m going to keep fighting.”
