Few NBA players have been put under such scrutiny the way that Jeremy Lin has been since last February, when the 6-foot-3, 200-pound undrafted Asian-American point guard out of Harvard rose off the bench and into international prominence with his sensational play in New York in midseason.
And for the first time in his career, Lin has the opportunity to prove that he can shine with the brightest of the game's greatest stars as the Rockets placed Lin and three other players on the ballot for All-Star Game selection this week.
But just how does Lin stack up eight games into the regular season against other high-profile point guards around the league? Latinos Post breaks down a list of the some of the most elite point guards that Lin will undoubtedly be compared to this season:
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers: 17.0 ppg, 2.2 steals, 10.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds
If you're going to climb the mountain, you have to look at who's the king of the hill.
And at this point, at the tender age of 27, Paul stands alone at the top. There is no point guard in the NBA that has more skills than Paul. He is second in the league in assists at 10.3, behind only Boston's Rajon Rondo. On top of his phenomenal passing ability, he is also the kind of scorer that can dominate a game. How dominant is he? Ask the New Orleans Hornets, who he made one of the toughest teams in the West before he practically forced their hand to trade him to the laughingstock Clippers. Paired now with another high-profile scorer in Blake Griffin, the Clippers are actually in serious danger of challenging the Lakers for L.A. supremacy.
Vs. Lin: Lin's passing ability, with a little work, could become almost as great as Paul, and he has shown flashes of great scoring in the past; but Paul isn't nearly as turnover prone as Lin can be. If Lin wants to be mentioned in the same breath as CP3--the crème of the NBA point guard crop--Lin has a lot of work to do.
These two will meet for the first time as West Coast rivals on Jan. 15, when the Rockets host Paul's Clippers at the Toyota Center in Houston, Tex
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder: 20.7 ppg, 8.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 5.2 rebounds
He may receive a few knocks on his playmaking skills, but pound-for-pound, the 6-foot-3, 187-pound Westbrook is arguably the most athletic point guard in the league. This member of Team USA's Summer Olympics team can score in bunches, putting opponents of the Thunder in a pick-your-poison role of either trying to stop the dynamic Kevin Durant or figuring a way to contain the explosiveness of Westbrook, who never shies away from driving to the basket at will. And his ability to knock down jumpers makes him all that much harder to stop. He played a big role in Oklahoma City's march last season to the NBA Finals.
Vs. Lin: Lin, who is rapidly becoming more of a pass-first player, may have an edge on Westbrook in the playmaking area as Lin's assists numbers do consistently well. However, Lin hasn't been able to prove yet that he can score as consistently as Westbrook. Although, when both players do go on a tear, it becomes extremely difficult for teams to stop either of them.
And the two dynamic point guards are on a collision course when the Rockets touch down in Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder Nov. 28.
Steve Nash, Los Angeles Lakers: 4.5 ppg, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 0.5 steals
If you're looking for a player to set as the prototype for what a great point guard should be, look no further than Nash. A two-time league MVP. Eight NBA All-Star Game appearances. A five-time league leader in assists (2005-2007 and 2010-2011). He can score consistently and dangerously, averaging a career 14.4 points per game. But more importantly for a point guard, even at 39, he is still one of the best floor generals to ever grace the NBA hardwood floors, ranking fifth all-time in assists.
Vs. Lin: Lin has a long way to go if he wants to equal the exploits of Nash's likely Hall of Fame career, but in a one-on-one matchup, expect the younger and stronger Lin to have a field day against the older Nash, who has never quite been as great a defender as he has been a passer.
Lin and Nash go head-to-head on Dec. 4 when the Rockets visit Los Angeles on a West Coast swing trip.
Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs: 13.6 ppg, 7.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 0.4 steals
Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to Parker. A career 16.8 point per game scorer with 5.9 assists, this three-time NBA champion and 2007 NBA Finals MVP has been one of the most balanced point guards in the league for years, just as deadly with his shooting touch as he can be finding future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan with a slick bounce pass in the post .
Vs. Lin: Matching the two up, it's clear that Lin's not yet on the level of one of the most respected playmakers in the league-keyword, yet. But as a player whose shown, in spurts, that he can pass the rock and get teammates involved while he goes off on scoring binges, with a little more seasoning, it's possible that Lin could one day actually surpass Parker.
He'll get his chance to match up with the veteran Parker when Houston visits the Spurs Dec.7.
Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets, 18.6 ppg, 7.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 0.7 steals
When it comes to point guards, Williams is the class of the East. His size at 6-foot-3, 209 pounds gives opposing point guards trouble, but add in his scoring ability-17.6 points career average-his passing and playmaking ability, 9.1 assists for his career, and opposing teams know they have their workload cut out on the man the Nets made their $98.7 million franchise player.
Vs. Lin: Ironically enough, Lin actually had his breakout performance last season against Williams's Nets, scoring 27 on Feb. 4 to give the Knicks a 99-92 win over their then-New Jersey counterparts, and 26 when they met the Nets again in a 100-92 loss on Feb. 20. The numbers suggest that Williams has had a hard time guarding Lin, but with Williams re-energized with a better Brooklyn team and Lin on a new-look squad in Houston, it could be intruiging to see what happens when the teams meet on Jan. 26, the first of two regular season games between Lin and Williams.
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