With the Charlotte Hornets plagued with injuries, Jeremy Lin has found himself starting regularly as of late.
And for someone who has gotten a share of the limelight, Lin is certainly someone who can step up to that role without question. But he needs to develop his consistency and manage himself for the whole game.
Such was again noticed when the Hornets fell to the Phoenix Suns. After starting out impressively, Lin had key turnovers in the stretch that told heavily on the Hornets.
While one game doesn't define Lin, it brings back some bad memories on the consistency factor that Lin needs to address. Turnovers at winning time are costly and that was seen as one of the factors in that last loss.
Then again, Lin cannot do it all by himself, of course. But when the time comes, Lin needs to understand that the game is taken to an entirely new level.
That sputtering performance is unlikely enough to relegate Lin to his usual backup role, especially with Nicolas Batum still on the sidelines. Lin has proven he still has the remnants of the old "Linsanity" days, though all that is needed for the whole game.
Besides, he has proven he can be "the man" in the clutch in previous games. But turnovers at crucial stages will, of course, deprive him from taking over.
Lin is only human and is likely to have turnovers. It was just unfortunate that all of it happens during the crunch.
So if Lin wants to be there until the final buzzer of close games, he may need to play wiser for head coach Steve Clifford to keep him inside. Lin has already proven himself as reliable but it may all be about being cautious, particularly in the end game.
