Jeremy Lin might not have been traded in the offseason, but he is certainly no longer a starter. The Houston Rockets point guard is coming off a lackluster 2012 season and will now have to prove himself coming off the bench as Patrick Beverley will be the starting point guard to begin the season.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Kevin McHale has tapped the second-year point guard to be in the starting lineup for the start of the year over Lin. In the preseason, Lin started three games while Beverly started four games. The young point guard will play alongside James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik and Dwight Howard against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Lin understood that their was an established competition throughout the preseason. The Rockets never appeared committed to Lin as trade rumors swirled around through out much of the offseason. Since he remained on the team, many believed Lin was a lock to start considering his experience and contract size. McHale is not concerned with who comes off the bench and who starts as long as the team is winning.
"As a player, I always found it irrelevant," McHale said. "I came off the bench in a lot of games. What is the big difference in playing 27 1/2 minutes off the bench and playing 26 minutes as a starter? I guess it is a big deal to some people."
Beverley did not exactly come out of nowhere for the Rockets. He broke out during the first-round playoff matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder where he averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 assists as a starter in all five games. Lin was out with a chest injury. He continued that success during the preseason, putting up 9.1 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line. That scoring paired with his aggressive play on defense made him a strong option as a starter. Dwight Howard is thrilled at the idea that the Rockets have two strong options at the point guard position.
"It's a good problem to have two guys that are capable of coming in and making plays and starting," Howard said. "I think they just shouldn't worry about who starts. They should keep focused on what they can do in the game because that is what will help us win. We are lucky to have them both."
