Jeremy Lin: Not worried about added pressure in Houston - USA TODAY

By Kevin Massoth, USA TODAY

Updated

Jeremy Lin went from little to no expectations for the New York Knicks last season to a $25 million investment for the Houston Rockets this week.

• 

  Dave Einsel, AP

  Jeremy Lin shows off his new Houston Rockets jersey, with a return to his favorite No. 7, upon his return to the team Thursday.

Dave Einsel, AP

Jeremy Lin shows off his new Houston Rockets jersey, with a return to his favorite No. 7, upon his return to the team Thursday.

Lin emerged to stardom for the Knicks and became a trending topic in social media. But with the big payday, the NBA's first American-born player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent said he does not think there will be added pressure this season.

" I don't know my potential but I want to play to that as much as I can," Lin told USA TODAY Sports by phone Thursday. "But what we will be focusing on more is the team potential, and that is where I put my stock, not just on myself.

"For me, I try to focus on playing for God and try not to get too into other people's expectations."

Lin said he is excited about coach Kevin McHaleâ€" and the team that cut him last training camp.

"I didn't leave on bad terms. They had X amount of spots for X amount of players and it didn't work out," Lin said. "Hopefully I'll be back longer this time around and I can do more with the team. I'm excited to be with the franchise."

Lin said he was hoping to remain a Knick before free agency started. But after meeting with the Rockets in early July he was excited about both possibilities. After the Knicks acquired Raymond Felton, Lin knew he was headed to Houston.

"I'm definitely excited to be back," said the former Harvard star. "I've had a very warm reception and I'm excited to be a part of the team and community in Houston.

"We're going to be really young. That's fun and we'll have a lot of challenges. Coach McHale does a good job getting guys ready to play."

Lin is expected to start next to Kevin Martin in Houston's backcourt.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.