James Worthy Doubts Jeremy Lin's Killer Instinct

Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Lakers forward James Worthy offered his two cents on the early season struggles of the Lakers (0-5) and, in particular, the inconsistent play of starting point guard Jeremy Lin. The man who formed the troika of the Showtime Lakers with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar bared that most of the guard's problem are mental and it is affecting his play on the court.

"He's a work in progress. He's a (two) guard trying to learn how to be a point guard," Worthy said to Lakeshowlife.com. "I'm not sure if he has a killer instinct yet."

Worthy was critical of how Lin was carrying himself on the court the past five games. He noted the former Houston Rockets and New York Knicks guard has to dribble less, which is the source of his numerous turnovers. Worthy was not placing all the blame on the playmaker but asserts Lin and Kobe Bryant are the only two players on the current roster who can create their own shots and opportunities for their teammates.

Michael Cooper, another Laker great, pointed out how the defensive match-ups are zapping the energy of Lin and diminishing his energy on the offensive end. Cooper suggested coach Byron Scott should re-think his defensive assignments to preserve the energy of the former Harvard standout at the other end of the floor. He recognises Lin has had trouble chasing explosive guards as evidenced by the last game when he was lighted up by the Phoenix trio of Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas.

Due to the said struggles on the court, many pundits have already suggested a move to the bench for Lin, which would distribute ball handling skills between him and Bryant. Both Lin and Bryant need the ball to be effective, and Scott this early must be looking at alternatives to at least make the games respectable or snatch their first win. The loss against the Subs marks their worst start as a Los Angeles Lakers franchise, and three more would eclipse the record set by the Minneapolis Lakers who started 0-7 during the 1957–1958 season.

With a lot of bodies missing for the Lakers such as rookie Julius Randle, who is lost indefinitely with a broken leg, and Nick Young, who is still out for weeks with an injured finger, the Lakers will be looking to elevate bench guys into starter positions to find the right mix and gain some semblance of momentum. Some of the moves suggested were to relegate Lin to the bench or promote Ed Davis to the center spot while flanking Jordan Hill.