Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott admitted that he has seen improvement in Jeremy Lin's game during the second half of the season, particularly on his passing facet. He believed Lin has learned to have a point guard mentality by getting his teammates involved more often.

Scott, who has been the most vocal critic of Lin throughout the season, praised the 26-year old Asian-American star for adapting that old-school point guard mentality which has become rare in this new age of basketball.

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"From a point guard standpoint, I'm still old school," Scott said in interview with Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com. "It's a new age point guard where they score first than pass first. But the next step for Jeremy as far of running the team, which I think he did a pretty good job in the second half of the season, is just that. He's thinking with a point guard mentality in getting guys involved first."

Scott said he's aware that Lin is a pick-and-roll type of player adept at creating scoring opportunities off the screen. Still, the Lakers head coach insisted that Lin needs to learn running other offensive systems for him to have a relevant career in the league.

"We all think he's been in the league for 10 years, but he hasn't," Scott said. "He hasn't played a ton of basketball in the NBA. It's still a learning process for him as well.

After an up-and-down first half that saw him starting the first 20 games of the season before spending the next three months under Scott's doghouse, Lin delivered a succession of strong games coming off the All-Star break to earn another chance to start again for the final 14 games of the regular-season.

Unfortunately, an upper respiratory infection and a knee injury forced Lin to miss games as the season draws to a close. Averaging at least 11 points and 4 dimes per game, the former Harvard hotshot is set to become an unrestricted free-agent this summer.

TagsLos Angeles Lakers, byron scott, Lakers rumors, NBA trade news, Jeremy Lin stats, Jeremy Lin free-agency