Jeremy Lin’s Rave Reviews in Toronto Raptors Debut; Coach Nick Nurse Wants a More Aggressive Lin

psalm234 February 15, 2019 Article 498

It was everything that is expected from Toronto Raptors fans who gave such a warm welcome Jeremy Lin in his debut, a mere hours away after signing his contract. Standing ovation, raucous cheers when Jeremy Lin made his first basket, electric atmosphere when Lowry and Lin showed immediate PG-to-PG chemistry by connecting a few times even when Jeremy admittedly only knew three plays in the Toronto Raptors playbook.

Jeremy tweeted his appreciation to Toronto fans for the standing ovation and love, “Hectic day but ended with a win (even though I only knew three plays lol)!! Thank you Toronto for the standing O and the love!”. He posted three pictures showing his joyous celebration scream, a loving moment capturing the moment Jeremy hugged Mama Lin who can’t contain her smiles, and a picture showing Kyle Lowry helping him to learn about plays during the game. It summed up all the great moments in Jeremy Lin’s debut as a Toronto Raptors with electric atmosphere in the building, his joy of spending special moment with his always-supportive mom, and his appreciation of the warm welcome from the starting point guard who helped him to quickly adjust in a new team.

Hectic day but ended with a win (even though I only knew three plays lol)!! Thank you Toronto for the standing O and the love! #WeTheNorth #MamaLindontplay #numberonefan pic.twitter.com/5YH32r0CKp

— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) February 14, 2019

Jeremy finished with 8 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 3 turnovers in 25 minutes. He was part of the important 15-0 run in the third quarter with Anunoby and Siakam to contribute with strong defense to give the Raptors momentum to come back and retake the lead.

When asked about what he thinks about Lin’s performance, Head Coach Nick Nurse said,

“I would have liked him to be a little more aggressive …. I think he went in there thinking pass, pass, pass tonight a little bit and I think he had a chance to take some more shots because I think he can score. But that’s okay … I think he looked good out there. His speed, quickness, ball handling, he fits in nice out there.”

Coach Nurse acknowledged Lin’s ability to score but understood these veteran players like Lin and Gasol would rather continue passing in their first game to fit in with other players.

Post-Game Conference for Pascal Siakam, Jeremy Lin, and Nick Nurse

https://youtu.be/wesgg4NZ8ik?t=219

Toronto Raptors Media coverage after Jeremy Lin’s Debut

Toronto Sun: Raptors blog: Siakam’s special night hit you in the gut, while Linsanity 2.0 impressed ….Jeremy Lin’s ability to step off of a plane on a whirlwind day and play his most minutes in a game since Jan. 21 and play them fairly well (though he thought he could have done better) was impressive stuff. He’s going to be a solid addition to the Raptors…Even though Lin said he didn’t really know what was going on:(“What do you do when you are a point guard when you have no idea what’s going on? You just do your best,” he said afterward) he still flashed great chemistry with Kyle Lowry. Nick Nurse, like most NBA coaches these days, loves to have two point guards on the floor, and the Lowry/Lin combo mixes quality shooting, with high basketball IQ, aggressive defence (Lin had a steal and a block), good rebounding and veteran presence.
SportsNet: Lin takes first steps on what could be magical ride with Raptors
Toronto Star: The time was right for Jeremy Lin to enter Raptors spotlight …So Lin passed his last medical checkpoints, and they gave him the Etch-A-Sketch course in the team’s walkthrough, the basics. He stayed late with fellow new acquisition Marc Gasol, watched some video, went to chapel with other God-fearing players and came off the bench.
Forbes: For Jeremy Lin, Joining Toronto Raptors Will Pay Off This Summer …The fact itself that Lin will be playing in Nick Nurse’s offense in the Lowry role, a ball-dominant one spot that is tailor-made for what Lin does best.
RaptorsRapture: Toronto Raptors: Why Lin chose Toronto and the risk that comes with it …It might just be a simple explanation that Lin wants to contend for a title, as does every player in the NBA. That’s the primary objective: win.
RaptorsRepublic: Pascal Siakam Eats the Sun, Jeremy Lin Makes his Debut and the Raptors Conquer the Wizards … Lin, like I mentioned, was a big part of the Raptors 3rd-quarter run. Grabbing a bucket, an assist, and a block (!) in his third quarter minutes…
RaptorsHq: Welcoming Jeremy Lin: Where does Toronto’s new PG fit in?