Jeremy Lin has made an impact in his first season as a member of the Charlotte Hornets, creating speculation indicating that the savvy guard will be one of the top candidates for the 2016 Sixth Man of the Year award.
Lin, who signed a two-year deal worth $4.37 million with the Hornets this offseason, averaged 11.7 points to go along with 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 73 regular-season games, where he only started in 13 games.
The former Harvard University standout played behind Kemba Walker in the rotation but has had his fair share of the spotlight this season with his impressive performances, including a 25-point night during their big 114-100 win against the Boston Celtics on Monday. He also posted seven rebounds, five assists and five steals in the game.
With his productive debut year in Charlotte, Lin is being lined up with Andre Iguodala, Will Barton, Ed Davis, Jamal Crawford, Dennis Schroder and Evan Turner as strong candidates for the 2016 Sixth Man of the Year award.
When asked about the possibility of bagging the first major award in his NBA career, Lin admitted that he has been hearing about it but indicated that he is not thinking about it because he believes winning the plum is a long shot.
"I think just whatever happens, happens," Lin said via Solar Entertainment. "I'm not really that worried about it. And I think a couple of people have mentioned it to me. But you know, personally, if you ask me, do I think I'm going to win it? I don't, but it really doesn't bother me that much. I'm not really worried about that award at all."
Lin said that he is focused on their upcoming campaign in the 2016 NBA Playoffs. The Hornets, who went 48-34 in the regular season, ended up as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. They will collide with third seed Miami Heat, who also had a 48-34 regular-season card, in the opening round of the postseason.
When asked about their chances in the playoffs, Lin is confident they can make a lot of noise if they will continue playing unselfish basketball like the way they did in the regular season.
"If we do it all together and if we all chip in, and we're detailed in what we do and we play the right way, we feel like we have a chance to make some noise," Lin said. "And at the end of the day, I think that's what's gotten us to this point, is when we have five guys on the floor, we're all playing together and we're playing the right way."
