The Brooklyn Nets suffered a huge blow in their season opener against the Indiana Pacers. Starting guard Jeremy Lin could miss the remainder of the season or at least a significant amount of time this season due to a Knee Injury.
Lin went up for a contested layup in the fourth quarter of the match and immediately grabbed his right knee after an awkward landing. Lin was in tears, but the former Harvard University standout was able to walk to their locker room on his own.
Did Lin sustain a torn ACL?
Based on how Lin reacted after the fall, fans quickly speculated that it might be the dreaded ACL injury, Yahoo 7 reported.
The typical recovery period for such injury is at least six months, which means that Lin will likely miss the rest of the 2017-18 NBA season if he really sustained a torn ACL.
Lin, who is playing in his second season with the Nets, has spent time on the sidelines before due to knee issues. While there are speculations about a potential ACL injury, the Nets have yet to release an official statement about Lin’s condition.
According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the exact injury will be known after an evaluation on Thursday. However, he added that there is a “tremendous concern” for the 29-year-old point guard’s condition.
Brooklyn Nets drop season debut against Indiana
The Nets took a 140-131 loss against the Pacers in their season opener.
The Pacers leaned on an offensive balance attack led by Darren Collison, who racked up 21 points and 11 assists for the Pacers.
Victor Oladipo ended up with 22 points and five rebounds on top of four assists and four steals in his Pacers debut. Myles Turned finished with 21 points to go along with 14 boards and four blocks, while Thaddeus Young ended up with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
On the other hand, D’Angelo Russell paced the Nets with 30 points and five assists. Trevor Booker tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Lin had 18 points and four assists before exiting the game.
With Lin possibly out for the rest of the season, Russell is expected to have a bigger responsibility in his first season with the Nets.
The Nets acquired the 21-year-old guard in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason. Allen Crabbe will likely take Lin's spot in the starting lineup and will play shooting guard, moving Russell the starting point guard role.
The Nets will look to bounce back on Friday when they take on the Orlando Magic. On the other hand, the Pacers will go up against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday in Indianapolis.
