Only a little less than a week remains before NBA All-Star Game fan balloting closes on Jan. 20, and Jeremy Lin once again finds himself in the thick of the balloting for the fan-chosen starting lineup.

Last year, Lin—whose popularity has risen by leaps and bounds on a global level since he burst onto the basketball scene in 2012 with the New York Knicks—shocked fans and NBA analysts by coming within roughly 45,000 votes of unseating the L.A. Clippers' Chris Paul for a spot in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game (Paul ended up winning the game's MVP award that night). The shocker of it was that Lin, in comparison to Paul, was having a more statistically inferior season, going through statistical ups and downs that saw Lin eventually finish with only 13.4 points and 6.1 assists.

This year, Lin has upped his game and production thanks to his work fine-tuning his shooting over the offseason. Shooting at 47.5 percent from the field, Lin is averaging 14.2 points and 4.3 assists this season, and was tallying up to 16 points at one point off the bench for Houston, despite having to work through injuries and being limited to Houston's reserve corps for much of the season thus far. Yet, he is farther back in the fan balloting than last year, with only 471,980 votes to his name. Lin is roughly 180,000 votes behind Chris Paul and a solid 200,000-plus votes behind a newcomer in the high-ranking ballot totals—the dynamic Stephen Curry, who is averaging 23.0 points and 9.3 assists for the Golden State Warriors this season. Kobe Bryant, even though he has been injured most of the season, leads all Western Conference guards with 844,538 votes.

We won't debate the merits of whether Paul or Curry deserves to be in the NBA All-Star Game this year. It should go without question. Curry, who missed being selected for the game last year despite having a terrific year and leading the Warriors to a spirited semifinals series against NBA Finalist San Antonio, has led the Warriors to a 25-14 record this season, making the young Warriors a team to be taken very seriously in the competitive West. Paul, who will be out for up to five weeks with a shoulder injury, has been leading the Clippers' campaign towards their second Pacific Division title and looks to make a legitimate bid for the NBA title this year, and possibly even the league's MVP award. Both men have more than earned their rights to be counted among the best and brightest the NBA has to offer.

However, while Lin might not have had as fantastic a season along the stats line as those two, he has made a valid case with his own play for All-Star consideration this season. Lin put in the work over the offseason to improve his shooting and all around playing, and that has shown in his remarkably steady output this season. He's become a much more efficient player on offense while losing none of his signature energetic play and relentless attacks on the basket. And more importantly, he's shown that he can fill in on the Houston Rockets' starting lineup and contribute significantly off the bench on offense in the wake of injuries to Patrick Beverley and James Harden.

But has Lin's role on the bench, which has helped stabilize the thriving Rockets, also been the reason why he's so far behind in the fan voting this season?

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There have been benefits for both him and the Rockets when it comes to the 25-year-old Palo Alto, Calif., native coming off the bench. The Rockets have found a steady sixth man to replace the offensive production they lost when they let Carlos Delfino go to Milwaukee. Lin, in the meantime, seemed to blossom without the glare of the spotlight focussed on him, learning to grow into a more confident and capable scorer on offense that was still—when called upon—able to produce a significant output in points. However, his playing time has been somewhat inconsistent, and with that, his offense hasn't quite had time to get off the ground.

On average, despite being the Rockets' primary sub, he's only getting around 9 or 10 shots per night—only 9.0 shots per night in December and 9.9 shots in November. Let's measure that against J.R. Smith of the New York Knicks, last year's Sixth Man of the Year. In November, Smith took 13.1 shots off the bench primarily for the Knicks, while he had 12.3 shot attempts in December. While Smith is notorious for being more liberal with his shots than perhaps most coaches would like, about three or four extra shots for Lin per night could mean about six to maybe 12 points extra that he could tack onto the scoreboard for the Rockets and in the stats sheet for himself. And make no mistake about it, Lin's shot attempt numbers are down. Just take a look at the stats from last season when Lin was taking between 10 and 12 shots a night from November through March, and took 13.7 shots in April when he finished the season with a flourish, averaging 17.3 points for the Rockets as they made a mad dash for the NBA playoffs.

When he has more touches, he produces more. Unfortunately, he had only so many shots as a starter last season because of the offense orbiting around Harden, and that number has dwindled now that he's been relegated to the bench. And let's be honest—unless you've been a mega-star in the league or 10 or so years with a hefty resume, a stats sheet that has 14.2 points coming from a bench reserve guy isn't likely going to get you that many votes for the All-Star game. It's part mathematics and it's partially the body of work that an NBA player has put up beforehand. As was the case last year, Lin may have come up a few points short of serious consideration for the All-Star Game. However, unlike last year, it is not the case of Lin underperforming in a high profile starting spot, but rather doing well in a vital, but less glamorous position with fewer shots to work with. Lin can take solace in the fact that he has still tallied more votes than any sub among the league's All-Star candidates. However, while Lin's new role helps provide Houston with stability as they vie for the NBA title, it comes with a sacrifice of another year where Lin might have to sit the All-Star Game out.