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Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin out another 3-5 weeks

By Brad Berreman

Dec 20, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) during their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Nets 116-104. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) during their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Nets 116-104. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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 Jeremy Lin has been sidelined by a hamstring issue, and he is not close to suiting up again for the Brooklyn Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets have lost 12 of their last 13 games, dropping them to the NBA’s worst record at 9-34. No one expected the Nets to be any good this season, but approaching the end of January without double-digit wins is a different level of dismal.

Point guard Jeremy Lin has not played since Dec. 26 due to a strained left hamstring, which has coincided with the particularly bad recent stretch for the Nets. Lin has only played 12 games (nine starts) for the Nets this season, averaging 13.9 points and 5.8 assists per game, as a previous left hamstring issue and a lower back issue sidelined him earlier in the season. Now, Lin will not be back on the floor anytime soon.

"Nets general manager Sean Marks has issued a statement on Lin’s health, via NBA.com.“During the course of his rehab, Jeremy re-aggravated his strained left hamstring and will be out approximately three to five weeks as he continues to work towards a full recovery.  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.”"

Spencer Dinwiddie and Isaiah Whitehead have been splitting point guard duties for Brooklyn in Lin’s absence, and that seems likely to continue or better or worse.

The Nets could fully embrace tanking this season for better lottery odds, and they wouldn’t be blamed for it. But the repercussions of a poorly conceived trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in 2013 still linger, as the Boston Celtics hold the rights to Brooklyn’s 2017 first-round pick.

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Lin has one more fully guaranteed year on his contract, plus a player option for 2018-19. So making sure he’s fully healthy makes sense from a certain perspective, but Lin won’t be able to return in time to make himself a tradeable asset for the Nets this year.

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