Jeremy Lin is not giving up on making an NBA return. The 32-year-old guard announced that he is no longer returning to the Beijing Ducks next CBA season, hoping to catch a break and sign with a club for the coming season.
Lin revealed his plans on Weibo via Channel News Asia. For him, there is still plenty of fight left in him although the chances of him joining an NBA team may be doubly hard. Especially with a new batch of rookies joining the fray, the American-Asian will be hoping his CBA stint will be enough to convince teams to give him another look.
"This decision has really been the hardest in my life," Lin said. "Every morning I would wake up at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m., thinking, thinking and thinking all the time. In the end, although Shougang [the Ducks] have treated me incredibly well ... giving me everything I wanted, in the end, I feel that I still have NBA dreams. I still have time to play [there] and I have to chase this."
The last time that Lin was seen in the NBA was during the 2019-20 season. He was part of the Toronto Raptors champion team although he was hardly a factor. It was all downhill from there with no teams willing to take him in even as a backup guard.
In the CBA, Lin put up good numbers. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Linsanity normed 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists. Though he struggled with the physicality in the CBA, these are numbers that may hardly gain traction. Other players deliver better numbers, most of whom are NBA players.
But then again, Lin brings something more to the table. Most know him as a player who can explode at any moment, someone who can raise the energy of any team. Being one of many hopefuls in NBA free agency, it remains to be seen which team would take a chance on the undrafted player of the 2010 NBA Draft.
Lin rose to prominence with the New York Knicks and moved from one team to another thereafter. He suited up for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets and the Brooklyn Nets as well. But if there is one thing that hindered his rise, it was his injuries. Each time Lin would get his game going, some kind of injury would crop up.
Hence, age and durability will be a factor for teams who would consider Lin. If he ends up empty-handed yet again, it will be interesting to see if Lin considers a return to the CBA.
