FINDING HIS RHYTHM
Back on floor, Lin tries to shake off rust from layoff
PHILADELPHIA — The Nets’ offensive execution has been skittish, especially late in games when they need it the most.
Coach Kenny Atkinson said he hopes that will change when Jeremy Lin is finished with his minutes restriction and in the starting lineup. And the point guard said he is confident that will be sooner rather than later.
“I’m fine. The performance staff did a great job, the strength coach and the trainers did an unbelievable job getting me healthy and right,’’ said Lin, who had been questionable Friday against Orlando, but played as a reserve. “It’s day-to-day. Honestly, I didn’t even know I could even play [Friday] until before the game. I wasn’t feeling great in shootaround, but [afterward I felt] really good. Just keep building. It’ll happen soon enough. It’s not going to be a crazy long process of building me up. It won’t be that bad.”
After straining his hamstring on Nov. 2, Lin missed 17 straight games over five weeks. As soon as he returned with a cameo off the bench in Houston on Dec. 12, he was out again Wednesday against the Lakers with a sore back. The changing lineups have taken their toll on the Nets, 7-18 coming into Sunday’s basement battle at Philadelphia, a league-worst 6-20.
“When you’re switching lineups around a lot, the execution is maybe not where it should be,’’ Atkinson said. “Hopefully [Lin] will be back full time now. We can really work on execution, what we want at the end of games.”
Having some Lin is better than no Lin, who leads the team in assists (5.9) and player efficiency (22.3). The Nets have outscored foes by 6.1 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court, but are a minus-9.3 without him.
“I don’t have to call as many plays. He’s a pretty take-charge guy, so he helps with the younger players,’’ Atkinson said. “It just gives us more stability, helps our rotations, gets [us] where we were in the beginning of the year.”
But when will they get him back in full? Atkinson is hoping the performance team will loosen the reins and raise — or remove — Lin’s minutes restriction.
“That’s my hope. That’s the wish,’’ Atkinson said. “We’re really going to look at it from a performance standpoint, from medical, what is the best thing for Jeremy at this point. I’ll talk with everybody; talk with the doctors, talk with the medical team, and figure that out. Obviously our wish is — as a coaching staff — to get him into his normal role.
“Yeah, it’s more my wish. But I listen to everything they say, and I totally agree this is where we need to be smart about his reintegration to the team. … We’ll see what the next game looks like.”
Lin logged 20:04 in Houston, finishing a plus-17 in his comeback. In 19:36 at Orlando, he scored 17 points, but had just three assists and was a minus-7 during that pivotal fourth quarter.
“I was definitely on a minutes restriction,’’ Lin said. “It was flexible towards the end, plus or minus a few minutes. It was the same plan as Houston: 15 through the first three [quarters] and then it depends on the game, up to 20. But I don’t think it could be more than that. But whatever they do, they’ve done a great job of getting me right and healthy.
“What sticks with me is just down the stretch I got the ball in my hands, I’ve got to hit more shots for us to win. That was the case in Houston as well, so there’s that disappointment. But I love the challenge, I love the fact that Kenny trusts me with the ball at the end of the game. I’m going to make sure the next time we’re in this position, there will be a different result.”