The 2018-19 season was full of highs and lows for veteran NBA point guard Jeremy Lin.
He played for the Hawks from October through February, averaging 10.7 points and 3.5 assists in 51 games as Trae Young's backup. He was waived by Atlanta but immediately signed with the Raptors, offering additional backcourt depth behind Kyle Lowry and Danny Green.
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However, Lin struggled in 23 regular season games with Toronto, dipping to 7.0 points and 2.2 assists per game while shooting only 37.4 percent from the field. He was a non-factor during the Raptors' championship run, logging just 27 total playoff minutes.
Though his season ended with a title, making him the first Asian-American player in league history to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy, Lin remains unsigned nearly a month after free agency began. The lack of interest from NBA teams has left Lin at a new level of "rock bottom."
"In English, there's a saying, and it says, 'once you've hit rock bottom, the only way is up,'" Lin said at an event in Taiwan. "Rock bottom just seems to keep getting more and more rock bottom for me. So free agency has been tough, because I feel like in some ways the NBA's kind of given up on me."
Lin, who rose to fame in 2012 with the Knicks as part of the "Linsanity" craze, could still be an off-the-bench contributor in the NBA, but his drop in production and injury history might be scaring off potential suitors.
While there are limited options in the United States, Lin could have opportunities to join other basketball leagues. CSKA Moscow of the EuroLeague is targeting Lin, according to a report from Sportando, and Lin recently said his greatest dream is to play with his brother, Joseph, a member of Taiwan's Super Basketball League.
"About five years ago, I began to consider whether I should play basketball in Asia because every year when I visit the region, I see so many fans, and they make me want to play a few seasons in the region," Lin said (via the Taiwan News).
If Lin's goal is to stay in the NBA, he could enter the 2019-20 season as a free agent and wait for the right situation to emerge. It's possible to bounce back from rock bottom. Some journeys are just longer than others.
