Hawks' Tiago Splitter out at least 4 weeks with hamstring strain

The big man will miss the start of the regular season

Atlanta Hawks center Tiago Splitter will miss the start of the regular season due to a hamstring strain. The team announced Tuesday that Splitter will be out at least four weeks after suffering the injury during practice.

Splitter, 31, missed most of his first year with the Hawks because of an unrelated injury. In February, he had season-ending hip surgery. This also prevented him from representing Brazil at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Tiago Splitter continues to deal with injuries. USATSI

Atlanta does not have much more frontcourt depth than it did a year ago. Dwight Howard has replaced Al Horford as the starting center, and Mike Muscala, Kris Humphries and Walter Tavares will compete for backup minutes. When Splitter is healthy he is expected to be Howard's primary backup.

The unfortunate thing for the Hawks is that, of all of their big men, Splitter is by far their best passer. As they try to hold onto their identity as a team that moves the ball and keeps defenses on their toes, it hurts to lose him again.