Jeremy Lin had a really good college career at Harvard that was highlighted by a spectacular junior season. He averaged a team-high 17.8 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the floor (40 percent from deep), along with 5.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest. He went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft,t but was picked up by the Golden State Warriors (notice a trend here) as an end of the bench player before getting waived next season.
Lin ended up with the New York Knicks in 2011 and found himself an opportunity for playing time at the guard position. He took the ultimate advantage, scoring 20+ points in eight of nine straight games, including a career-high 38 against the Los Angeles Lakers. He hit a game-winner against the Toronto Raptors and had multiple games of 10+ assists.
It looked like “Linsanity” was the future of the Knicks, but the franchise didn’t sign the offer sheet of $25 million that the Houston Rockets gave him. Lin was the full-time starter the following season, averaging 13.4 points and 6.1 assists per game. Unfortunately, the team’s lack of success combined with his defensive liability made him a moveable asset, ultimately getting traded to the Lakers in 2015.
The former Ivy League star has moved on to several teams since, including the Charlotte Hornets, the Brooklyn Nets, the Atlanta Hawks and now Toronto. Injuries have played a big factor, missing an entire season in 2017-18. But Lin has transitioned into a good scoring option off the bench and at the very least provides guard depth.
He won’t ever get back to “Linsanity” levels, but Lin has made not only a nice amount of money throughout his career, he has surpassed expectations to the delight of Asian basketball fans everywhere.
Career stats (480 games): 11.6 points, 4.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds per game