Viewed as Brooklyn's key offseason signing, Jeremy Lin was supposed to provide a steady hand at the point guard position for the Nets and new coach Kenny Atkinson. Yet that has only happened for 12 games as a hamstring injury has kept Lin on the sidelines for the majority of the season. Now, according to the Nets, he'll miss even more time after he suffered a setback in his rehab.
The Nets announced on Monday that Lin will miss three to five more weeks of time after he re-aggravated his hamstring injury.
"During the course of his rehab, Jeremy reaggravated his strained left hamstring and will be out approximately three to five weeks as he continues to work towards a full recovery." Nets General Manager Sean Marks said in a release. "We understand and appreciate Jeremy's competitive desire to get back on the court with his teammates, however, we are going to be cautious with his rehab in order to ensure that he is at full strength once he returns."
Lin first injured his hamstring on Nov. 2 -- just four games into the season -- against the Detroit Pistons. He returned on Dec. 12 and played in seven of Brookyln's next eight games but he then re-injured his hamstring on Dec. 26 against the Charlotte Hornets. Lin is averaging 13.9 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in the 12 games he has played this season.
With Lin missing more time, the Nets will keep giving minutes to rookie Isaiah Whitehead, Sean Kilpatrick and Spencer Dinwiddie at the point guard spot. Not having Lin obviously hurts the Nets but this is yet another rebuilding year for Brooklyn, so giving extended minutes to Whitehead, who has played well, should benefit them in the long run. The development of Whitehead and Kilpatrick is quite important for the Nets since the Celtics own their 2017 draft pick.