Jeremy Lin’s strained left hamstring has hampered the Nets’ season, putting him on Brooklyn’s bench and helping put the team in the NBA’s basement. But the point guard finally resumed practice Tuesday, and is expected to play in Denver on Feb. 24, the Nets’ first game after the All-Star break.
“I didn’t play great, but I was competitive,’’ Lin said.
After Lin’s injury and absence, the Nets will settle for competitive.
“He did pretty much everything, even a little extra afterwards, played a little full-court. So [it’s] good news,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “He’s going to get that 10-day All-Star period to get his rhythm, get in better shape, work on his cardio. … He looked good, shot the ball well.”
Atkinson conceded Lin must improve his conditioning and could be on a minutes restriction. Whatever minutes Lin plays will be a boon. In his limited time on the court this season, he averaged 13.9 points and 5.8 assists while delivering stability and leadership Isaiah Whitehead and Spencer Dinwiddie could not. Three hamstring injuries have limited him to just a dozen games.
“It’s big. … It gives the whole organization, our team, some stability, [to] see all of our players with a guy of Jeremy’s caliber and experience,’’ Atkinson said. “It’s well-needed, especially with us struggling. It’s good news all around.”
The Nets need some good news. They are an NBA-worst 9-46. Their 13-game losing skid is the league’s longest this season and their 15-game home slide a club record. That Lin will have missed 44 games including Wednesday’s against the Bucks has contributed to all of that.
“It’s been really, really hard to watch,’’ Lin said. “I feel for the guys, because they’re playing hard, playing the right way, moving the ball, trying to do the right things. … I’m not going to lie: It wears on everybody. I walk in there and I just feel bad. I’m a little bit upset at myself. I just feel bad for the whole situation, really.”
Lin’s situation has even made things harder for general manager Sean Marks. Lin’s return is slated for the day after the NBA trade deadline, meaning Marks will have to make important decisions (for example, whether or not to trade Brook Lopez) without seeing his team healthy.
“Yeah, I’m realistic enough to understand that we haven’t a fair look at what this team is really going to look like,” Lin said. “[We’ve had] such a small sample size.
“We have guys playing out of position and guys being asked to do things they haven’t had to do in their career. So that’s not really fair to them, and I totally understand that. When I come back, I want to be able to help this team and be what they envision me to be. I think post-All-Star break is enough games to see that.”
That would mean holding onto Lopez past the trade deadline. The Nets are believed to want two first-round picks to consider moving him, and reportedly discussed a deal with the Pelicans for Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, Tim Frazier and a 2018 protected first-rounder, according to basketballinsiders.com.
“Sure, in a perfect world, we’d like to see him from Day 1 in all these games,” Atkinson said. “We’ll see going forward. But [Lin and Lopez are] two good players you want to see on the court together. We’d really love to have that information.
“For me I’m strictly [the] coach. I’d love to see them together, how they mix, how they work.
“I’d love to see some more stability in our lineup, that’s all. We’ve been all over. … That’s the one thing that gets me a little. We haven’t been able to establish that stable kind of rotation. I’m hoping that post-All-Star we can get to that. It’ll help all of us decide who this team is, where we’re going. It’ll be a big help.”
Trevor Booker (sore right knee) is questionable for Wednesday, while Quincy Acy (ankle) will not play.