Former Brooklyn Net Jeremy Lin spoke about his fit in Toronto and how he hasn’t felt this much freedom since playing with the New York Knicks.
Jeremy Lin is working his way into the rotation for the Toronto Raptors and he’s excited about the freedom he’s given as point guard. Lin spoke highly of his new head coach, Nick Nurse, and even compared his free-flowing style to former New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni.
“[Mike] D’Antoni is the only other one,” Lin told Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. “I’m seeing that I have to reverse a lot of my mindset in terms of just the freedom I have on the floor and the empowerment…It’s been a while since I’ve had that kind of freedom. It’s a player’s dream, it’s a blessing and it’s my job and my time to capitalize on it.
“Since D’Antoni it’s been the opposite. It’s been changing my mindset in a different way and now it’s going back to that.”
Lin failed to mention his time with the Brooklyn Nets. It’s noteworthy to mention that Brooklyn’s head coach, Kenny Atkinson, was an assistant with D’Antoni on the Knicks at the time of Linsanity. Atkinson is usually given credit with D’Antoni for unlocking Lin’s game in New York.
Obviously, Lin is deserving most of the credit for his success, but D’Antoni and Atkinson helped put him in positions to succeed. However, Lin didn’t have that same success with Atkinson in Brooklyn.
Some Nets fans may feel slighted by this Lin quote, but it doesn’t appear like Lin is trying to throw shade at his former team. Rather, he’s trying to discuss why he feels he can be successful in Toronto.
Obviously, Lin’s time with the Brooklyn Nets was forgettable. But his tenure with the Knicks remains the height of his career. It’s no surprise that he remembers his time in Madison Square Garden fondly and glosses over his time in Barclays Center.
Furthermore, Lin is mired in a shooting slump and looking to build up his confidence in any way he can. He can be a vital piece of Toronto’s puzzle if he can break out of this malaise and add some punch off the bench.
