Houston Rockets: Jeremy Lin Gets To Prove His Worth Vs. Former Team

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no question that Jeremy Lin has struggled throughout this entire season. Outside of the one game against the San Antonio Spurs where he tied his career high with 38 points, He’s been less than Linsane. Tonight Lin will face off against his former team as the Houston Rockets will walk into Madison Square Garden and take on the New York Knicks.

Raymond Felton and a few of his teammates stated before the season that Felton was better than Lin and that New York would not miss him. May seem cocky, but so far he’s right. Let’s take a look at the numbers.

So far this season Felton has returned to form as he was the first time around with the Knicks. He’s averaging 16.3 points, 6.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 33 minutes a game. He’s shooting 40% from the field as well as 40% from downtown. He’s also got the Knicks at 18-5 and standing on top of the Eastern Conference. They’re 10-0 at home and 8-5 on the road. He runs the offense very smoothly and is helping Carmelo Anthony have a MVP type season so far.

Jeremy Lin has not quite lived up to the hype in Houston. With that being said he’s also one of the leading vote getters for the All-Star game due to popularity. So far this season Lin is averaging 11 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 32 minutes a game. He’s shooting just 39% from the field and 31% from three. The Rockets have been very inconsistent with a 11-12 record at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Lin is a playmaker, but doesn’t get the playmaking duties since the arrival of James Harden. The type of game Lin plays is not fitting the Rockets style of play so far which has Harden controlling the ball and  having the playmaking abilities. With that being said When Harden missed a game Lin dominated the ball, playmaking abilities and the game.

In New York Felton runs the show. He calls the plays and runs them perfectly. Lin may be more of a playmaker but Felton is better at finding his teammates in the right spots. He knows his team well and knows when to find his teammates and when to takeover himself. He has a perfect balance for running a team, something Lin is struggling with this season.

Lin will definitely be in the spotlight tonight. All of America, especially Houston and New York will have all eyes on him, if he lives up to the hype or not is up to him. But if he shows any signs of what he’s been doing all season so far it will just be another disappointing game for Jeremy. He needs to prove himself tonight and finally show the Knicks it was a mistake to let him go. Make the fans remember what they lost.

This game could get ugly for either Lin or the Knicks. Either way, it’s going to be interesting to watch. If I had to bet on it the Knicks will walk out with the win and Felton will have a big impact as Lin takes a seat behind the James Harden show. But who knows, maybe Linsanity will erupt in the garden tonight. We can only hope.