Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin, one of the NBA’s top reserves this season, is out at least two weeks with a knee injury.
According to the team, Lin has a Grade one sprain and contusion of his right knee suffered in Wednesday’s home win over the Atlanta Hawks. He will be sidelined two weeks before being re-evaluated.
It is not the same knee in which Lin had surgery to repair a meniscus tear during the 2012 offseason, when he left the New York Knicks and joined the Rockets.
Lin is averaging 15.3 points and 4.5 assists while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. He has come off the bench in half of his 16 games, making him eligible for the Sixth Man Award.
However, Lin had been starting in place of Rockets leading scorer James Harden, who missed the last three games with a sore foot. Harden participated in shootaround Friday morning and is a game-time decision for Houston’s home game vs. Brooklyn.
Lin’s absence likely means a continued increased role for Aaron Brooks. Prior to Harden’s injury, Brooks had played just 15 minutes over nine games. Over the last three games, Brooks has averaged 23 minutes and 16.7 points, including his two highest-scoring games of the season.