Nets Season Preview: Lin Gets Chance To Lead Rebuilding Team In Brooklyn

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Jeremy Lin was briefly the biggest thing in the Big Apple, maybe in all of basketball, the last time he played in New York.

Linsanity didn't last long and neither did Lin's time as a starting point guard. He mostly came off the bench while playing for three teams over the last three seasons, but now he's getting another shot.

The Brooklyn Nets are giving Lin the keys to their team and believe he's ready to run it.

"He came off the bench in Charlotte last year and did a heck of a job, but this is a little different deal now," said new coach Kenny Atkinson, who was a Knicks assistant coach during the Linsanity era. "You're kind of the quarterback. You're the Eli Manning, those guys, so there's a different level of responsibility."

The Nets better hope Lin is ready for it, because there isn't much talent around him.

They begin their fifth season in Brooklyn absent the high-priced star power they lined the roster with in their early years after moving from New Jersey. All-Stars such as Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have given way to the likes of Trevor Booker, Justin Hamilton, Randy Foye, Luis Scola, Joe Harris and former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, players signed this summer by general manager Sean Marks.

MORE: Lichtenstein: Rebuilding Nets Have No Choice But To Go All-Lin

Marks also tabbed Atkinson to be the coach, and together they are talking about building for the long term. That may be a better solution, though it means the Nets won't win much now.

But Lin brings some buzz from fans who remember his captivating stretch with the Knicks in 2012. The NBA's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese decent started all 82 games for Houston the next season, but lost his job the following one and remained a backup as he moved to the Lakers and the Hornets, where he played behind Kemba Walker last season.

The Harvard product was mainly a pick-and-roll guard when he burst on the scene five seasons ago, without much else to go to when teams took away his drives to the basket. He believes he returns with a more well-rounded game, with Atkinson urging him to trust a jump shot that wasn't previously part of his arsenal.

"Now if guys are forcing me left, I can go left," Lin said. "If guys want me to shoot, I'm not saying I'll make it every night, but I'll gladly shoot them. I'll gladly shoot open ones if they give them to me."

The Nets open their regular season next Wednesday at Boston.

Here are some other things to watch with the Nets:

BAD BROOKLYN: At 21-61, the Nets missed the playoffs last season for the first time since moving to Brooklyn in 2012. They may not be any better this season.

ATKINSON AT HOME: A respected assistant with the Knicks and Atlanta Hawks, Atkinson comes back home for his first NBA head coaching job. The Northport, Long Island, native will be coaching not far from the courts where he grew up playing.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Brook Lopez averaged 20.6 points as the Nets' top player last season but has been quiet in exhibition play, creating some questions about the 7-foot center's fit in Atkinson's system, which will be predicated on quick ball and player movement of the successful Hawks teams of the last few years.

BOGIE BALL: Bojan Bogdanovic returns from a strong summer to an unclear fall. The top scorer in the Olympics while leading Croatia to a surprising quarterfinal spot hasn't even been starting in the preseason after averaging 11.2 points and starting about half the games last season.

GROW UP FAST: The lack of veteran stars should mean plenty of opportunities for second-year players Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough, and eventually rookie Caris LeVert, who is still recovering from a left foot injury that cut short the first-round pick's final season at Michigan.

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