"Link became the fourth rookie in the entire league this season to score 20-plus points in a game! Another undrafted player had completed his comeback."
"24 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block—a new generation of all-around warrior was born!"
"The Memphis Grizzlies celebrated their fourth straight win, moving within just 1.5 games of the Houston Rockets in eighth place in the Western Conference."
"Link—the Grizzlies' best signing of the season."
The media naturally couldn't deny Link's accomplishments after he put up an all-around stat line with 20-plus points in his first start. He was only a Chinese American, and his style of play wasn't particularly flashy, but the stats and results spoke for themselves. No one could ignore them.
Link's reputation around the league was growing, to the point where all the lottery picks were starting to feel nervous.
"Link is a great player. If I go up against him, I'll have to be careful," said Evan Turner, the 2010 second overall pick, when asked on camera.
"We'd never even heard of Link in college. But I have to say, he's been playing beautifully in the NBA." Wesley Johnson, the 2010 third overall pick, seemed a little tense. His performance this season had already fallen far short of expectations. If he lost to an undrafted player on top of that, he'd never be able to show his face again.
After seeing what had happened to George and Hayward, lottery picks who played the same position as Link didn't want to face the Grizzlies. If they beat Link, so what? As lottery picks, beating an undrafted player wasn't exactly something to brag about. But if they lost, they'd be humiliated.
No one wanted to take on something that offered no reward for winning and a whole lot