Knicks big Precious Achiuwa out 2-4 weeks with strained left hamstring

The basketball gods need to lighten up on the Knicks.

New York was already thin along the front line with Mitchell Robinson out until around Christmas (or later), now comes news that Precious Achiuwa will miss the first couple weeks of the season with a strained hamstring, something the team announced.

Achiuwa has looked good in the preseason for New York, averaging 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. Karl-Anthony Towns will start and get the bulk of the minutes at the five, but this injury leaves Jericho Sims and promising rookie Ariel Hukporti as his backups.

The Knicks have battled a few injuries this preseason. That includes Landry Shamet, who the team waived this weekend after a shoulder dislocation. New York has a couple of roster spots it needs to fill heading into the season, and in the wake of the Achiuwa news it’s possible that Marcus Morris Sr. could get one of those spots to help bring depth up front.