Jeremy Lin Has Created A New Advanced Analytic While Out Of The Lineup With A Hamstring Injury

FTW- That clipboard that Jeremy Lin has been seen writing on during games as he hangs out on the bench while out with a hamstring injury is Lin’s way of staying involved with what’s happening on the court. And it’s not an ordinary stats sheet.

In the New York Times’ Scott Cacciola’s story about Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, the coach revealed that Lin has created his own “self-styled version of offensive-efficiency statistics.”

Lin, the team’s starting point guard, has remained involved by manning a clipboard on the bench during games so he can chart a self-styled version of offensive-efficiency statistics.

“Linology,” Atkinson said. “It’s beautiful. It’s his way of showing he cares. He asked me if he could do it, and I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And he just does it, and he hands it to me after every game, and then I hand it to — you know, I’m not exactly sure where it goes.”



Okay, let's get all the facts out on the table here. Jeremy Lin - the Asian basketball that once spoke out about being racially profiled heading into NBA arenas - has created his own, distinct type of statistic which he decided to name after himself. The Harvard graduate that has a huge problem with being put in a ethnically labeled box decided to use his time on the injured reserve to go 'Good Will Hunting' and start concocting new formulas on a whim. The guy who wants to be acknowledged as more than a representative of his race has begun doing the most cliched thing a member of his race could do - unnecessary math. Talk about breaking the mold. Surely people will realize that Asians are more than exemplary mathletes now that their most accomplished professional athlete instinctively went right back to doing extensive arithmetic the second he was unable to compete on the court. I don't want to say that Jeremy Lin is playing into the very same stereotypes that he's often denounced, but becoming the team's unofficial analytics associate is akin to making red bandanas your newest 'must wear' accessory while growing up on the bad side of town.  

I have to imagine that this is actually a good thing though. Jeremy Lin is far too intelligent to think he was just going to start doing homework court-side and not fall victim to "ha, look at the Asian doing algebra!" jokes. That means he's given up on trying to shed the preconceived notions he faces because of how he looks and where he went to school. I hope this is a sign that he is finally embracing the entirety of his Asian-ness, because that Asian-ness was at least partially responsible for his once meteoric rise in basketball and it deserves to be celebrated. Even if ferociously scribbling down calculations like he's trying to maintain the highest grade point average within the organization does make people mutter "psssh...typical" under their breath.