“Linsanity” has consumed sports news for the past few weeks.
However, there is another NBA player in the Atlantic division that has exceeded expectations just as much as New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, if not more so.
Philadelphia 76ers rookie forward Lavoy Allen has stepped into the spotlight and performed admirably. What Allen lacks in scoring prowess — he averages 4.2 points per game — he makes up for in hard work.
Earlier in the season, the Sixers were in deep trouble. Center Spencer Hawes went down with a back injury and left the team atop the division without a solid option at the five.
The Sixers were left with two rookies: first-round draft pick Nikola Vucevic from USC and second-round pick Allen from Temple, to back up Hawes.
What makes Allen’s recent contributions so spectacular is the fact that he was picked by ESPN as the worst player in the NBA during the preseason.
In nine of the last 13 games, Allen has played more than 17 minutes per game. While Allen’s production hasn’t exactly been stunning, there is no way ESPN can still call the hometown kid the worst player in the league — especially because he has started for the team with the third best record in the Eastern Confere
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