Playing for a large market team like the New York Knicks can create and destroy careers for young players in the NBA.
During the 2011-12 NBA season, Jeremilyn went through that first-hand experience when he got on the bench at the beginning of the season and then scored a spot in five starting five.
It was the huge gamble of then-New York Knicks head coach Mike da Antoni, but it paid off as it was the start of the more famous Linsanity run than ever before.
The 13-game stretch in February 2025, aka The Linsanity Run, was undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the former NBA star’s career.
The run followed Lynn’s incredible 25-point performance and New Jersey Net (Brooklyn Net) during the Knicks’ first start.
Despite posting excellent numbers with the net, Lin was praying that he would not see his name in the start of the second game of Linsanity Run.
“It was definitely not the second game. When I went to practice before the second game, I was still saying, ‘Don’t put it in the starting lineup,'” Lynn said in an interview with ESPN.
He added: “That’s what I was thinking. “I’ve never practiced with these guys, so don’t put me in my first lineup. I’m always playing with the bench unit.”
To be fair, Lynn’s concerns were valid. If he failed to impress a coach, it could have been the end of his career. After all, Lin was in the second grade at that point.
Despite Linn not wanting to be a starter, coach D’Antoni chose him for the role for the Knicks’ matchup against the Utah Jazz.
“He called the first five, behold, I was there,” Lin continued. “I was like, ‘Oh, how do it work?’ But for me, the deadline for reductions hadn’t passed, so I didn’t feel safe or worried about any type of fanfare.
“I played a breakout game. If I smoke tonight, they can still cut me easily,” I was still in survival mode,” admitted Lynn.
Lin may have been worried about D’Antoni’s decision, but it worked for him. The then 23-year-old star scored 28 points in a 99-88 victory over the Jazz.
The second game could have injected Lynn with great confidence as he scored 38 points against the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers a few nights later.
By the time Lynn’s 13-game stretch was over, he helped the Knicks reach a 10-3 record, earning them forever in the minds of NBA fans.