This wasn't the season Jeremy Lin envisioned when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets last summer. With an opportunity to start, and returning to the city where he rose to prominence, he foresaw proving himself capable of leading the Nets back to respectability. (And all while continuing to push the boundaries of his mane.) Instead, he missed 46 games due to hamstring and ankle injuries. So, we caught up with the point guard to discuss a season where the focus was mostly on recovery and rest, and what he learned along the way.

GQ: On most game days, there might be a shootaround in the morning and a lot of guys don’t get meals in their body until right before the game and afterwards. Are you the same way?

Jeremy Lin: Mostly, I just have two meals before the game. It does change from two to three meals, depending on when I wake up. I definitely eat in the morning, and in the afternoon and once before the game for sure. If I’m up early, I’ll have an even earlier breakfast. With any meal, it's just clean everything; lean proteins, veggies and clean, good carbs.

So what’s an earlier breakfast look like?

Something light, like a ham, onion and avocado omelet.

I did see your tweet a couple of weeks ago about dreaming about In-N-Out Burger. How much not-so-good performance food do you allow yourself to have throughout the season?

I’m still thinking about it. With that, I think it’s all about timing and you have to be smart about when you do that. So usually, if I have a cheat meal, it will be after a game or if there are days in between games. You don’t want to have a cheat meal right before a game. Even the night before (a game), you still have to be careful because you could be putting something in your system that would inflame your body and make you feel sluggish the next day.

Have you found a go-to spot to eat in Brooklyn?

There’s this place called Carnem’s. I like them a lot. They have this delicious bone marrow and I always try and get some of that when I go. There's also the chicken and veggie stock to help with recovery. They also have really good steaks and seafood also.

Being a fan of bone marrow gives me an idea of just how broad your foodie palate is.

Oh yeah. A bunch of restaurants make it. It usually comes with bread and you can put whatever you want on it to kind of dress it up. (Carnem’s) usually puts uni on there, so it usually looks like this [he shows me a photo on his phone]. You can just scoop it up, and put it on some bread and if you haven't tried it. I recommend it.

You missed a lot of time this season with injuries. How much more conscious do you have to be with what you’re putting into your body while rehabbing?

I think with any injury, what you're putting in your body is very important because most injuries consist of some type of inflammation or swelling. Food can definitely contribute or aid in that. Also, with the rehab process, the better you eat, the less work you have to make up for. If you don’t take care of your body [when you’re injured], and then you’re trying to get back in shape, that can create more risk of re-injury that can create a longer rehab process and create a lot more issues. You don't want that.