Jeremy Lin: Projecting Houston Rockets' PG's Season Averages in 2012-13

Houston Rockets' point guard Jeremy Lin brought New York to its collective feet last season, but what does he have in store for 2012-13?

Of course no one knows for sure what the future holds for Lin and the Rockets, but why not make some projections based on what we have seen already?

Here I will attempt to project Lin's scoring, assist and shooting numbers for this upcoming season (as a point guard Lin's presence in the rebounding department can be considered irrelevant).

Let's begin.

Scoring

Lin averaged 14.6 points per game in 2011-12 with the Knicks, but only played in 35 games total. He also averaged just under 27 minutes per game for the season, which leads me to believe that he will score more with more court time in Houston.

2012-13 Projection: 16.2 PPG

Kevin Martin led the Rockets in scoring last season, averaging 17.1 points per game. Considering that there is no Carmelo Anthony or Amar'e Stoudemire in Houston, I would not be surprised if the man dominating the ball, Lin, led the team in scoring. Based on my 2012-13 projection, he will wind up leading the team, averaging just over 16 points per night.

Assists

Lin averaged 6.2 assists per game last season, but will have fewer stars to finish off his passes for points in Houston. As already mentioned, the Rockets lack the star power that the Knicks possess, and that will make assists harder to come by for Lin. 

2012-13 Projection: 5.5 APG

With very little scoring options outside of Kevin Martin, Lin will take it upon himself to look to score more often this coming season with the Rockets. He'll still make passes and pick up assists of course, but at a much lower rate with a starless squad. 

Shooting

Lin wasn't terrible shooting from the field or the free-throw line in 2011-12 with the Knicks, but he could have been a lot better in my estimation. He shot 44.6 percent from the field, shooting 5-of-11 from the field on the average night. However, Lin struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 32 percent of his long-range shots.

2012-13 Projection: 43.5 FG%, 34.0 3P% and 77.5 FT%

I expect Lin to be better from three-point distance with the Rockets this season as he is still improving on his range. On the other hand, I believe Lin will experience dips in his field goal and free-throw shooting. Although nothing major compared to his 2011-12 numbers, the drops will still be noticeable. 

When the 2012-13 NBA season is all said and done, Lin will have had a decent year with the Houston Rockets. That's not to say that it will be worthy of $25 million or even be enough to lead Houston to the postseason. Still, Lin will be one of the league's better scoring point guards and a player on the upswing of his NBA career.

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