Jeremy Lin Can Make Top-5 in Assists Next Season; Has Great Shot To Become NBA’s Best Passer

Jeremy Lin might not be assuming the role of a primary scorer for the Houston Rockets, but the presence of Dwight Howard and James Harden could certainly put him in contention alongside Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and Ricky Rubio as the league's top assist-dealing men next season.

Now in his second season with the Rockets, Lin is facing expectations that are possibly higher than ever as the premier playmaker for the loaded Rockets squad. With the championship in their sights, the Rockets hope Lin will transform into a better ball facilitator for the team's up-tempo offense and become a catalyst in the postseason.

In his first year as a Rocket, Lin averaged just 6.1 assists per game, which is not much different from the assist production he had with the New York Knicks at 6.2 apg. However, everybody knows that Lin is very much capable of coming up with double-digit assists per game. Thankfully, the arrival of Howard will really help Lin reach his full potential as a playmaker.

Unlike Omer Asik, Howard is a better finisher off the pass and that makes him an easy target off a pick-and-roll offensive set. Sensing that guard-center chemistry is essential to any championship team, Lin and Howard decided to spend a week working out the pick-and-roll play under the tutelage of head coach Kevin McHale and Rockets great Hakeem Olajuwon.

Apparently, Olajuwon liked what he saw from Lin and Howard executing the pick-and-roll play, even calling them a 'deadly combination.'

"Just the little offense I saw, that combination is very deadly and you can see that both of them are very excited seeing that 'wow, we bring the right ingredients together.' When you see players that are dedicated to succeed it gives you that window to see what kind of season that we're looking for... Dwight can clearly dominate this league comfortably. He has everything that he needs and he has desire and work ethic to do it," Olajuwon said in an interview with Houston Fox 26 last month via Slam Magazine.

Aside from Howard, Lin can also jack up his assists production by pushing the ball consistently where the Rockets' are more potent offensively. Harden, Chandler Parsons, Francisco Garcia and Omri Casspi all can thrive in an up-and-tempo offense and it really bodes well for Lin statistically.

Summing up every scenario, Lin could average at least 8.0 assists per game to 10.0 assists per game next season. Rondo, the reigning assists champion, is not expected to retain his title because of his lengthy rehab while Paul, Rubio and Deron Williams might concentrate more on scoring next season. This leaves Lin with a great chance to become a Top 5-ranked assists passer in the league and perhaps take his first year-end award (based on statistics) - the NBA's assist title.