Lin Wei’s strongest performance yet, reliving “Linsanity” on the NCAA court

Finally, Lin Wei played his finest match since arriving in the NCAA, and taking into account the intensity gap between the NCAA and CBA, this might be his career-best performance.

Facing Rutgers University, Lin Wei retained his role as the starting point guard following the last game, reflecting the coach’s strong trust in him. In that prior game, he started and played 21 minutes, shooting 2 of 5 to contribute 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist, performing solidly with very few mistakes.

Lin Wei exploded right from the start today, scoring 11 points in a row by hitting four consecutive shots, surpassing his previous high of 9 points. Of those four shots, the first three came immediately after receiving the ball, while the last was a pull-up three-pointer after dribbling on his own.

If this were the CBA, with Lin Wei’s hot shooting early on, he would have unlimited freedom to shoot throughout the game, taking any shot he wanted. But in today’s game, Lin Wei remained very controlled and did not force any attempts.

He continued to play as a point guard on the court, focusing on ball distribution, and many of his passes were very well-timed. This is what I see as Lin Wei’s biggest improvement after 13 NCAA games, and it’s also the key reason he’s gradually regained the coach’s trust.

Of course, towards the end of the game, Oregon’s other players struggled, so the ball naturally ended up in Lin Wei’s hands. In the last three minutes, Oregon scored 11 points, going from 65 to 76, all of which were scored by Lin Wei, including three three-pointers and a floater.

With 8 seconds left, Oregon was down by three points. Lin Wei received the ball from the baseline inbound, took a step dribble, adjusted, and nailed a pull-up three-pointer over the defender to tie the game and send it into overtime. At that moment, Lin Wei had already scored a team-high 22 points.

In overtime, Lin Wei didn’t score in open play but made a free throw for 1 point. Although Oregon lost in overtime, Lin Wei had his most thrilling game since the season began, playing 33 minutes, shooting 8 of 14, hitting 6 of 12 from three, and making 1 of 2 free throws, finishing with 23 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals — all career highs in the NCAA.

The foreign commentators were saying Lin Wei’s name in the first half, and as he kept scoring in the second half, they shouted “Linsanity!” Lin Wei won over everyone with this single game.

If I had to describe Lin Wei’s NCAA journey in three phrases, it would be: “accepting setbacks and criticism,” “working hard in training,” and “waiting for opportunity.” In the CBA, Lin Wei was the core point guard and top domestic scorer; but in the NCAA, he has no special status and isn’t even considered a main guard on the team. His recent starts were due to the absence of the original starting point guard.

At the start of the season, Oregon’s head coach did give Lin Wei some freedom to attack, but Lin Wei’s poor shooting habits quickly frustrated the coach. Lin Wei’s style remained the same as in the CBA: once he had the ball, he immediately aimed for the basket and took shots on his own without much team play.

Oregon’s coach didn’t tolerate Lin Wei at all and benched him for the entire game against Purdue University, not giving him a single minute. He said, “We haven’t been able to get him to break the habit of wanting to create scoring chances immediately after getting the ball. This process has been frustrating for both him and our coaching staff. He shoots too quickly and chooses poorly. He needs to fix those bad habits he developed in the CBA.”

The coach has scolded Lin Wei many times recently and even punished him with DNPs for his poor playing habits. But despite the criticism, when Lin Wei integrates into the team and plays the “right” basketball, the coach does give him chances. This contrasts with some NBA coaches who prefer letting undrafted players or two-way contract players shoot recklessly rather than developing their own first-round picks.

Lin Wei doesn’t need to perform like this every game; as long as he follows the coach’s tactics and makes open shots, he won’t worry about playing time. If he can shed some of his bad habits from playing domestically and mature, this move abroad will truly represent growth.

In a way, Lin Wei’s excellent scoring ability but exclusion from the national team is similar to why he was criticized by Oregon’s coach. Neither the national team nor Oregon wants a Lin Wei who shoots endlessly for points; they want a Lin Wei who prioritizes the team and contributes in other ways besides scoring.

Lin Wei stepped out of his comfort zone and took on huge pressure to play in the NCAA essentially to improve himself. He had unlimited shooting freedom in the CBA, but that style offered limited growth. He just turned 23 and still has limitless potential; what he wants is to explore those possibilities.

I know when Lin Wei had little playing time recently, many mocked his choice—that a top scorer in the CBA couldn’t even get minutes in the NCAA. That’s precisely why we need more young players to go abroad and see the world, to clearly understand the gap between us and the best.

Those dreams that are mocked are often the ones most worth holding onto.