There are the graceful athletes, the ones the coaches love to play because they look good while playing.

And then there are the ones who get results, despite what the coaches think.

That’s why the tale of Jeremy Lin is compelling. He was pretty much a benchwarmer, a guy the New York Knicks were about to cut before coach Mike D’Antoni reluctantly played him. And the coach played him only because his roster was threadbare.

It reminds us of a movie from last September, one that is now Oscar-nominated for Best Picture. “Moneyball” depicts the 2002 Oakland A’s using sabermetrics to determine their roster, rather than merely age-old scouting. The scouts describe such things as how players look when they swing, rather than whether they get on base often.

We hope that Lin’s tale gives coaches everywhere a little pause. Maybe they, too, might consider they are overlooking talent right there on their own bench.

If you ever coach the kids in our community, give all the kids a chance to do well. You never know. You might have the next Jeremy Lin.