Brooklyn will need to be aggressive in its approach to finding a replacement for Lin as the team has 81 games left to play and a lack of movement would send a negative message to the loyal fanbase.
Lin was forced out of Brooklyn’s 140-131 loss in IN after he landed awkwardly on his right knee following a driving layup attempt with 4:53 left in the fourth quarter.
The Nets point guard was diagnosed with a ruptured patellar tendon of the right knee, the team said in a press release Thursday.
Further examination confirmed a significant injury that is expected to keep him out for the entire 2017-18 campaign.
“We feel bad that the injury will cost him the season, however our entire organisation will be there to support Jeremy in every way possible throughout his recovery”. 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. Caris LeVert, in his second year in the National Basketball Association, could get much more time as well.
“Jeremy worked really hard to get back from injury, so we hope everything’s OK”, Atkinson said after the game. You can see him mouth the words, “I’m done, bro”.
The Brooklyn Nets didn’t just lose their season opener Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers, they lost one of the few players on the roster capable of scoring 30-plus points on a given night. He aggravated the injury about two weeks after returning and didn’t play again until after the All-Star break. That lasted just 35 games before a season-ending knee injury.