It's a new season for Jeremy Lin as he gets to work with the LA Lakers following his trade from the Houston Rockets earlier this month. 

The 25-year-old, though, is playing down any suggestion that there might be a repeat of the "Linsanity" craze that followed his impressive performances during his 2011-2012 season with the New York Knicks. 

He's keen to establish himself as "something more than the crossover cultural sensation that hit New York two years ago", the New York Times reported him as saying. 

The LA Times meanwhile speculates that Lin's arrival to the Lakers could help win some new fans among the city's Asian residents.  

All the indications from Lin are that the last few years have been years of fruitful development and he's in a good place.  

"I'm not trying to recreate Linsanity.  I'm not trying to be that phenomenon that happened in New York.  I think I just want to be myself, more than ever," he told reporters during his official introduction with his new team last week.

"It's definitely been an up and down year for me.  When I look back on the past two years, I think I've grown and learned a lot as a person, as a Christian and also as a basketball player.  From the minute I stepped into Houston till now, I'm definitely a more complete player."

Lin made his debut with the Lakers this week not by hitting the court but by visiting LA's impoverished Skid Row area where he helped out at the Midnight Mission homeless service.  

Although it appears Skid Row's residents weren't so familiar with the star serving up their dinner. 

The LA Times reports one guest on the night asked: "Which one's the basketball player?"