Charlotte Hornets
Linsanity is quietly back in Charlotte
Charlotte Hornets

Linsanity is quietly back in Charlotte

Published Jan. 25, 2016 10:33 a.m. ET

On Saturday night, Jeremy Lin was in Charlotte's starting lineup, replacing an injured Nicolas Batum. He was squaring off against the New York Knicks, on the four-year anniversary of the day they called up him from the D-League and the phenomenon that became "Linsanity" officially started.

Guess what happened? He had one of his best games of the season, scoring 26 points on just 17 shots while dishing out five assists. The Hornets were a plus-23 with Lin on the court, and steamrolled the Knicks in convincing fashion. 

His teammates loved every second of it:

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Lin mostly comes off the bench as Charlotte's backup point guard, but when he's in the starting lineup, he crushes. In an eight-game sample size, Lin averages 18.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists when he starts. 

He shoots 47.6 percent from the floor, 40 percent behind the three-point line and 82.9 percent from the charity stripe. 

(Off the bench, his shooting split dramatically dips to 41.2/29.0/78.9.)

What should the Hornets do? Kemba Walker is having an All-Star caliber season, and when Batum returns he should obviously be back in the starting lineup. Lin's individual numbers aren't enough to move Walker to the bench, and it's unlikely that's what Lin would want anyway:

But what if, when everyone's healthy, head coach Steve Clifford simply slides everybody up a position, and moves P.J. Hairston to the bench? 

Does a lineup of Walker, Lin, Batum, Marvin Williams and a center work? Charlotte's offense is dynamite when those first four play together, and perhaps Clifford should consider making it a full-time thing. 

It's time to embrace the mere possibility that we might be one lineup change away from Linsanity Part II, even if it totally ruins Charlotte's bench. Already in a tailspin, what's the worst that could happen?

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