Jeremy Lin failed to make an impact on Thursday as he struggles with back spasms, but Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott praised his backup point guard.
Lin was limited to two points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field, but added four assists and three steals during their 80-73 loss to the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
The former Harvard University standout hurt his back when he took a hit in practice on Wednesday. The 26-year-old point guard was being treated hours before the match, but eventually decided to play despite having an ailing back.
"You have to give him credit," Scott said of Lin, who had 15 points and four assists in their 108-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday. "I didn't think he was going to play at all. He wanted to give it a go."
Lin said after the match that he cannot shoot and move the way he wanted to, but was able to impress Scott with his hustle, reflected by his three steals in the game, and by making his teammates involved with his four dimes. The fifth-year guard said that he tried to be aggressive to make up for his sub-par shooting.
"You keep attacking. It's just a mindset," Lin said of his performance. "When I'm on the floor, I want to stay aggressive. I thought tonight I was pretty aggressive. I didn't feel like my normal self in terms of the explosiveness and finishing. But I still think I should've hit a lot of the shots I got."
Lin, who is averaging 10.8 points to go along with 4.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game this season, is expected to start in their final 10 games this season, but it remains to be seen how the back injury will affect his status moving forward. His impending start will likely help the Lakers decide on whether to give him a new deal or not this summer.
The Palo Alto, California native was a limited participant during Friday's practice, but Lin said that he expects to be 100 percent healthy when the Lakers take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at Staples Center.
