JEREMY Lin, the first-ever Taiwanese-American NBA player, has become a household name after miraculously coming off the bench to lead the New York Knicks for a season-high seven-game winning streak.

With his amazing performances averaging 20-plus points and nearly double-digit assists per game during the ongoing winning run, the 23-year-old Harvard graduate has captured the hearts of Knicks fans and the attention of the national media in the United States.

As an Asian-American hoop player, the so-called Linsanity has also spread across the Pacific Ocean to solicit support of millions of basketball fans in Asia, especially those in Taiwan because of his connection to the country.

Both of Lin's parents are from central Taiwan's Changhua County, later immigrating to the US decades ago where Lin was born and raised.

Though not fluent, Lin can also speak Mandarin Chinese and has travelled to Taiwan several times, visiting his parents' family as well as to coach young players.

Because of the special bond, Taiwanese people consider him a local son and a Pride of Taiwan. An estimated 1 million people, both hoop fans and non-hoop fans, have been closely watching his games. A tremendous amount of media coverage is following every move of the promising young player.

The rising NBA star is definitely something worth being happy about for Taiwanese, and his underdog story is equally inspiring for all. We must point out, however, that it is still somewhat of a stretch for some local media in calling him a Pride of Taiwan, or likening him to Taiwan-native former Yankees ace hurler Chien-Ming Wang or No 1 female golfer Yani Tseng.

After all, Lin is a through-and-through American and Taiwan has contributed very little in the making of the overnight-sensation, which is totally different from the cases of Wang and Tseng, both of whom received training here and began their early professional careers locally

nstead of cheering Lin solely because of his association with Taiwan, what we should learn from him is how he is able to excel in the highly competitive NBA in which very few players are of Asian descent.

Objectively speaking, at 191 cm (6 feet 3 inches), Lin is not especially tall, and nor does he have a particularly strong body in comparison with other point guards in the league.

Taiwan actually has many basketball players with that sort of physique.

For instance, local forward Sean Chen, the closest Taiwanese that ever come close to the NBA, has an even more outstanding jumping ability and sturdy build.

For one thing, the language barrier could be one of the main off-the-court reasons that could prevent a Taiwanese born person to be offered a chance in the NBA.

Aside from that, what makes Lin stand out from other similarly sized players is his crossover dribbles, court vision, passing skills and ability to drive to the hoop despite contacts, together with his ability to perform John Stockton-style pick-and-roll with teammates.

These are not all natural talents that one is born with, but are skills that can be achieved after a player has truly devoted years of practice like Lin has.

However, these basic hoop skills are apparently something that most Taiwanese basketball players are found to lack.

Many players are criticised for focusing only on one-on-one street basketball style games, failing to understand the true meaning of team play.

Even more importantly, Lin's recent performances have proven that he has got the skill to raise his team to another level, but he remains humble following the his newfound international fame, a fact that makes him an even more admirable figure.

His focus on court and humbleness off it is something local players should learn from, with many often found involved in romantic relationships with celebrities, or other negative news that has nothing to do with the sport itself.

The Taiwanese-American Lin's success story in the world's highest level pro-basketball league definitely sets a goal for local hoop players to follow as the dream to play in the NBA is now not as unimaginable as it once was.

But, they still have much to learn.

The China Post(Taiwan)/ANN