Jeremy Lin's NBA 2013 Stats Show Houston Rockets Point Guard Will Be Better Next Season

Jeremy Lin might still be a subject of trade rumors for the next few months, but all of it could eventually settle down once the Houston Rockets point guard proves to be a worthy component of the team.

Entering his fourth NBA season, Lin will be dealing with greater expectations following the Rockets' successful pursuit of All-Star center Dwight Howard.

It is possible that contrary to popular belief, the arrival of Howard may not stunt the development of Lin. Instead, Howard's dominant presence in the interior and his ability to finish off pick-and-roll plays will make Lin a better facilitator.

SynergySports statistics, cited here , indicated Howard finished 80 percent of his shot attempts off pick-and-roll plays last season, while Omer Asik was able to convert just 58 percent coming off a roll.

Howard's ability to draw multiple defenders inside could also give Lin more space to knock down his outside jumpers, which remains an area of concern for the young point guard. However, if Lin is able to sharpen his sniping skills from downtown, he will surely have a better season offensively after averaging 13.4 ppg last year.

With regards to sharing the ball-handling duties with James Harden, it is possible that Lin will eventually become the Rockets' primary playmaker because head coach Kevin McHale will have all the time in the world to draw plays for both guards during training camp.

Moreover, Lin knows he really needs to step up his game next season or else Patrick Beverley will take over as the Rockets' starting point guard. Beverley, who will just make roughly $800,000 next season, has proven to be a fine playmaker for the Rockets following his solid playoff performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of last year's playoffs.

For now, it's all up to Lin if he wants to stay relevant in this league because next season could be a make-or-break one for him, career-wise.