Jeremy Lin to miss rest of season after rupturing patella tendon

Brooklyn’s Jeremy Lin is out for the season after his rupturing patella tendon in the Nets first game.

The NBA season started off on a melancholy note with Boston’s Gordon Hayward going down with a gruesome injury just a few minutes in to the season opener Tuesday night. It’s heartbreaking to see players lose their season on the first game of the year, but the basketball gods can be unforgiving and the injuries just keep coming.

In the Brooklyn Nets’ season opener, Jeremy Lin went down with a knee injury and the Nets announce today that he will miss the rest of the season. The diagnosis is a ruptured patella tendon, the Nets announced in an official press statement Thursday morning.

Lin knew immediately that he was in trouble after hitting the floor as he told teammates “I’m done, I’m done” before doubling over in pain and grabbing at his knee.

Lin missed a significant portion of last season with various minor injuries and only played 36 games last season. However, he looked to be a bright spot in Brooklyn’s lineup averaging 14.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. While he only played 36 games, his averages were near the top as he led the team in steals and assists per game and finished second in points per game.

Lin started the game for the Nets at point guard and scored 18 points in the first three quarters before his injury. With Lin out, the Nets will likely move recent acquisition Alan Crabbe into the starting lineup at shooting guard and shift D’Angelo Russell into the point guard spot.

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Lin is one of the only NBA veterans who was returning to them team this year, and his leadership on the court will be greatly missed. The Nets’ season outlook wasn’t looking too hot in the first place, and without one of their top players it seems they’ll struggle all the more.