Tiago Splitter #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 18, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
ATLANTA — Tiago Splitter of the Atlanta Hawks will miss the start of the regular season because a strained right hamstring.
The injury is another setback for center-power forward, who was coming back from season-ending hip surgery that also forced him to sit out the Rio Olympics in his native Brazil.
Splitter was injured during a recent practice. An MRI on Monday confirmed a Grade 2 strain, which will keep him out for a minimum of four weeks. The 6-foot-11 player was expected to back up new Atlanta center Dwight Howard as well as Paul Millsap.
The Hawks open the season Oct. 27 against Washington