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jpmel commented on Jeremy Lin and the limitations of the 'hard-working Asian American' narrative

It's true that basketball frequently employs racial stereotypes to characterize players. That being said, it's just a fact that Lin is not an especially athletic player (relative to other guards in the NBA). He doesn't create a lot of space for himself by being a great shooter, has problems going left and turns the ball over a lot. Despite all that, he STILL manages to get to the rim at an insane rate, which is why he is in actuality a very smart player. Like the post-injury Chris Paul, Lin utilizes a great sense of timing and a plethora of hesitation moves and subtle changes of direction and pace to break his man down, rather than pure athleticism.

Posted on February 15th, 2012 2:23pm