Jeremy Lin: With some luck, Nets could make playoffs

Jeremy Lin thinks with some good health and good free agent recruiting effort, the Nets could go from the worst team in the NBA to the playoffs.

“I feel we can get into the playoffs . . . I only played [24.5] minutes a game this year. If I could play more, or if I didn’t get injured, I feel we have a chance of getting into the playoffs,” Lin told JD.com a week ago.

It’s the same interview, published by NetsDaily last week, where Lin said five former teammates approached him last season to ask if he could help them join the Nets. A more complete translation was provided by slamonline.com and picked up by Newsday.

Lin, according to the new translation, said the Nets close-knit culture will help recruit players. “I know a lot of players on different teams [who] could be winning games, but they’re really unhappy.”

As Greg Logan writes, Lin missed 46 games last season, all but one because of various hamstring injuries and a mild ankle sprain. The Nets finished 20-62 but they were 13-23 in the games Lin played, including 10-12 in his final 22 games.

Lin has said he hopes to improve his three point shooting from a career-best 37.1 percent to 40 percent. But the Nets point guard admitted his hamstring injury hurt his ability to finish.

“This year, I didn’t finish at the rim as much,” Lin said. “Normally, I can finish at the rim at a high rate, but because of my hamstring, I was afraid to jump and take contact. So, I hope that next year I can get an automatic two points when I drive to the basket.”

Lin also plans to work on his floater as a means of avoiding contact and possibly preventing injury. “As I get older, I don’t want to keep getting fouled and keep falling on the ground,” Lin said. “I don’t feel like that’s the best way to protect my body.”

• Jeremy Lin sees Nets making playoffs if he can stay healthy next season - Greg Logan - Newsday