It looks like Jeremy Lin is once again starting to look like the Asian-American sensation that befuddled opponents with explosive speed, high-octane offense and point-racking playmaking skills that launched the "Linsanity" phenomenon in New York last February.
Good news for the Rockets. Bad news for the Western Conference.
ESPN New York reported Saturday afternoon that after Lin put up a very strong 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the visiting 2-0 Rockets past the playoff-tested Atlanta Hawks Friday night, his ex-Knick teammate and roommate Landry Fields texted him.
"Great game. Keep it up," Fields texted Lin, according to ESPN New York. "It's something where if you keep it up all season, you'll shut a lot of mouths."
Fields, who signed a three-year, $20 million deal with the Toronto Raptors over the off-season, famously lent Lin his couch to sleep on while Lin came off the bench-and out of obscurity-last winter to start on the Knicks and save their season by scoring 24.6 points and 9.2 assists in his first 10 games as New York's starting point guard.
After going down to a leg injury late in the season, Lin elected to take off to Houston, signing a four-year, $29 million deal with the Rockets. Lin struggled to get his offense going in the preseason, averaging only 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 6.0 rebounds per game, according to Lin's game logs on NBA.com. However, in the first two games of the Rockets regular season, the 6' 3", undrafted Harvard point guard is starting to look like the player the Rockets were envisioning they would be getting for their money.
READ MORE - Jeremy Lin and James Harden Provide 1-2 Punch to KO the Hawks 109-102; Harden Scores Career High 45 Points
As ESPN.com's stats point out, Lin is currently averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game in his first two games as a Rocket. That's totaling both Lin's 12 points, eight assists and four rebounds against the Pistons Wednesday and his 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists Friday facing the Hawks.
How does that compare to his emergence in New York last winter? He's good, but a little off that pace, according to his game logs at Hoops Stats.
In Lin's now-famous debut against the then-New Jersey Nets Feb. 4, Lin scored 25 points, dished seven assists and five rebounds. Two nights later against the Utah Jazz, Lin posted 28 points, eight assists and two rebounds. All in all, Lin averaged 26.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in his first two starts on the Knicks during "Linsanity."
Lin's about 10 points shy of being the offensive wunderkind that he was in New York. For this new, in-sync harmony with new Rockets star James Harden to lead the Rockets to the playoffs, Lin is going to need to be the stud that averaged 24.6 points and 9.2 assists in his first ten starts in New York.
Whether Lin has fully recovered from his knee surgery still remains to be seen, but if Friday's game was any indication of where Lin's play is headed, Fields' words will be prophetic-and Lin indeed will "shut a lot of mouths." And maybe even leave a few gaping in awe.
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