Athlete of the Week: Jeremy Lin

 Jeremy Lin: Athlete of the Week

Jeremy Lin was a no-brainer for our new column, "Athlete of the Week". The Harvard grad made a splash at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas last week, and the undrafted guard wound up getting a one year contract with his home town Golden State Warriors, with an option for a second season.

Hailing from Palo Alto, California, Lin was a team captain and standout at Harvard. Last season he averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. He was a unanimous All-Ivy selection at point guard, and was a finalist for both the John R. Wooden Award (Best D-1 player in the country) and the Bob Cousy Award (Best D-1 point guard in the country).

His breakout performance came on July 15th, when the Mavericks squared off against the Wizards. Lin was matched up against #1 overall pick John Wall. He scored 9 points in the fourth quarter alone, and also played excellent defense. Lin's summer league performance drew interest from the Lakers, Mavericks, and Warriors. He eventually decided on the Warriors, his favorite team growing up.

At 6'3" 200 pounds, Lin definitely has the size to play in the NBA. The major concerns are his inconsistent jump shot, and adjusting to the deeper NBA 3-point line. He has the aggressive attitude and ability to be a good penetrating guard. He also seems to work well off of pick-and-rolls. Lin may not be the biggest, strongest, fastest, or most highly touted player, but he's a great story and he's fun to watch. And hey, if basketball doesn't work out, he's got a Harvard degree to fall back on.