Jeremy Lin addressed the media on Monday night, speaking for the first time since injuring his left hamstring on Dec. 26 against Charlotte. The Nets point guard did not offer a timetable for his return, and while he’s not participating in team practices, he said he’d been shooting and is encouraged by the process.
“It’s been less than a week and I’ve shot, so that’s really encouraging,” Lin told reporters. “I remember how long it took me to shoot previously.”
Lin previously strained the same hamstring on Nov. 2 and was forced to miss 17 games as a result. Lin, who is averaging 13.9 ppg, 5.8 apg and 3.3 rpg in 12 games this season, said this strain occurred in a different part of his hamstring, which is a positive development.
“It’s a different area, it’s completely on the other side,” Lin said. “It hurt a lot less when it happened and everything is progressing better than the previous one, so I’m definitely very encouraged and definitely if it was the same exact spot, it’d be a different tune.”
The 28-year-old said the next step is strengthening the hamstring, but he’s taking things day-by-day.
“No timetable because it’s hard to predict the same hamstring as the previous one, so it’s just more passing objective testing and protocol and from there, I’ll move forward,” Lin said.
Despite the positive signs, Lin said the injuries have taken a mental toll, but the 28-year-old is looking at them as a learning, character-building experience.
“It’s been difficult,” Lin said. “That’s life and I think it’s more how you respond from it. I’m given this, so how I can still pour into my teammates and study the game or different things. I know in a lot of ways, a lot of setbacks or things I’ve really not enjoyed have been the most valuable for me in terms of being a learning experience.
Lin said he’s felt a lot of support from his teammates during his absence.
“It’s a good group of guys and they are always talking to me asking me how I’m doing,” Lin said. “Not just the players, it’s everybody and almost overwhelming at times. I’m like wow, you guys really care and they are really thoughtful, text messages or whatever it might be.”
“I know the guys have my back and I appreciate that and that’s part of the reason I want to try and support them the best I can.”