Point guard Jeremy Lin of the Los Angeles Lakers may not be publicly commenting on the possibility of free agency, but he does speak candidly of the team's "pick-and-roll" strategy used on the basketball court.
According to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, Lin seems to want a larger role than he has now with the Lakers. However, fellow Lakers teammate Jordan Clarkson is rising up in the ranks, making the scenario of moving out of Los Angeles a real possibility.
"I'm not going to answer any of those free agency questions until after the season. I'll discuss that later," Lin said in a diplomatic manner.
However, Bresnahan noted that Lin held nothing against Clarkson. In fact, the point guard has been very supportive of the rookie, especially after a 25-point, six-assist effort on Friday.
"To do it against a great team defense like Memphis, that's hard to do on their floor," Lin said. "The kid has grown up and has a ton of potential. It's impressive."
Bresnahan reported that Lin has been in and out of the starting lineup many times under the leadership of Lakers coach Byron Scott, who had a few comments about the point guard's performance on the court.
"I think the last five, six games, Jeremy's played extremely well at both ends of the floor," Scott said, noting the improvement in Lin's comfort level. "He's not thinking so much out there. That's the biggest thing that we talked about months ago, was quit thinking so much and just play and react to the situation."
Scott then revealed to Bresnahan that he asked Lin to pare back the "pick-and-roll plays."
"I just didn't like the fact that you use it right when you come in the game. I wanted to move the ball first - let's see how they play certain things first," Scott said. "Let's see how they guard pick-and-rolls when we get movement."
The Lakers coach liked what he saw out of Lin, according to Bresnahan.
"He's doing a much better job of running the offense," Scott said of Lin.
However, Mark Medina of Los Angeles Daily News reported that the point guard now had the freedom to run the offense and run more pick-and-roll plays.
"That's who I am," Lin said. "That's what allowed me to have success in the past. That's the reason why people are paying me money to play pick-and-roll."
Lin admitted to Medina that the latest trend in his gameplay happened without consulting with Scott about it.
"I'm a player who will take what the defense gives me," Lin said. "Whatever it is, if they're giving me the shot, I'm going to shoot it. If not, I'll try to get someone else a good shot."
Medina reported that Lin's $14.9 million Lakers contract will end this offseason.
