Jeremy Lin Watch: Rockets' Point Guard Improving With New Team

The point guard is 16 games into his three-year contract with the Houston Rockets. His team sits at 8-8, having won three of their last four games. After a rough start, the Rockets and Lin have played better over the past two weeks.

The recent turnaround started against Lin’s former team. Houston dominated their first matchup with the New York Knicks this year. They defeated the Knicks, 131-103, scoring at will against one of the best defensive teams in basketball.

When Lin signed a $25 million offer sheet with the Rockets, a few Knicks players, including Carmelo Anthony, remarked that the Harvard grad wasn’t worth the money. Lin certainly played like he wanted to prove that he is worth every penny.

Against the team that experienced “Linsanity” firsthand, Lin scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists. He helped force multiple turnovers and led an offense that couldn’t be stopped.

Before that contest, Lin had been and adequate starter, but his field goal percentage was making him somewhat of a liability. Since Houston’s game against New York, Lin has been an efficient shooter. He’s made over 57 percent of his shots in his last four games

The Rockets don’t need Lin to replicate his production when he first burst onto the scene. With James Harden in the top five in scoring, his 10.9 points per game should be enough to help Houston win more games than they lose. His 37.3 percent shooting for the month of November might not get the job done.

The Rockets have the third-highest scoring offense in basketball, and Lin leads them with 6.6 assists per game. He also leads them with two steals per contest, though Houston is one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

Lin will look to continue his hot play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. With Steve Nash still out because of an injury and Steve Blake going down for six to eight weeks with surgery, Lin will look to take advantage of weaker point guards. Darius Morris and Chris Duhon haven’t proven that they can be a formidable duo this year.

Lin’s performance against L.A. last season made him a national phenomenon. After his first three games playing extended minutes, he scored 38 points on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on national television.