Australian star Jock Landale will miss at least the first two weeks of the NBA playoffs with Atlanta Hawks because of his sprained right ankle.
Melburnian centre Landale sustained a high ankle sprain at the start of the month at Orlando, with the Hawks saying he "is progressing in his rehabilitation" and "will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks."
The 30-year-old had averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 23 regular-season games with the Hawks this season and his absence will be a blow for Atlanta, who are sixth seeds in the Eastern Conference playoffs, with their first-round series at the third-seeded New York Knicks beginning on Saturday.
The Hawks had addressed a lack of depth at centre, with Kristaps Porzingis unavailable much of the season and N'Faly Dante is out for the year, by acquiring Landale from Utah in early February.
He never played for the Jazz and was with them less than a day after being part of an eight-player trade involving Memphis, where he had averaged 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 45 games.
Landale is in his fifth NBA season, having made his NBA debut with San Antonio in 2021-22 and he's also played for Phoenix and Houston.
But Landale's teammate, star defender Dyson Daniels is still set to ensure Aussie representation for the Hawks following a toe injury. The 23-year-old is ready to make his play-off debut on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in the opener against the Knicks.
With AP
