Goran Dragic debunks the narrative that Jeremy Lin was overrated during his time with the Rockets: "He was fighting"

Goran Dragic debunks the narrative that Jeremy Lin was overrated during his time with the Rockets: “He was fighting” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Everybody in the NBA world loves an underdog story and Jeremy Lin‘s 2011-12 breakout with the New York Knicks was the perfect example. Leading the team to a seven-game winning streak while averaging 24.4 points and 9.1 assists during that span, Lin was suddenly at the center of the basketball universe.

He became the next great underdog tale that fans could rally behind. However, after his move to the Houston Rockets, the narrative shifted drastically. Within just two years, Lin was labeled overrated – a notion Goran Dragic continues to strongly refute, even to this day.

Dragic knew Lin gave his all for Houston

While Lin’s two-year stint in Houston didn’t lead to postseason success beyond the first round, that didn’t mean he lacked effort or impact. In the 2012-13 season, with James Harden emerging as an All-NBA Third Team selectee, the team was clearly in a building stage. This was when Lin emerged as the team’s third-best player, averaging 13.4 points per game while improving his three-point shooting.

Then, in the 2013-14 season, despite being shuffled in and out of the starting lineup and playing nearly four minutes fewer per game, Lin still averaged 12.5 points with greater efficiency from both the field and beyond the arc.

Dragic acknowledged that while the expectation for Lin may have been unreasonably high, the claim that he didn’t give it all was completely false. Opposing players could clearly see Lin’s determination and the relentless energy he brought to every game.

“I have to admit that he was really fighting out there. He would give you 120 percent every time on defense and offense. He perhaps didn’t have that amount of talent where he would give you something extra, but he was fighting. When he was in New York for about one to two months, he had that crazy run of great performances where he would score 20, 30 or 40 points. Everyone was talking about him, especially since he was playing in New York, a big market and they were hoping they finally have someone that could make it happen for them. Everyone was talking about him,” Dragic said during his appearance on the ‘NBA Mozzart’ podcast. “But in the end, he couldn’t keep himself in the NBA and that was it,” Dragic stated.

The fame culture needs to change in the NBA

Unfortunately, the intense spotlight that comes with excelling on a large-market team like the Knicks often leads to inflated expectations – such expectations are unfairly set at levels reserved for all-time greats. This, more than anything, contributed to the decline in how fans and media perceived Lin after his departure from New York.

So, even when he gave maximum effort to help the Rockets do well in his short stint there, some were more concerned with looking at his shortcomings, as they expected him to dominate as he did with the Knicks. The reality is that he was never capable of constant production like that; it was that he just got hot at the right time.

Still, it is worth noting that players like Dragic truly recognized Lin’s unwavering effort and heart every time he stepped on the court.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.

Goran Dragic debunks the narrative that Jeremy Lin was overrated during his time with the Rockets: “He was fighting”

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