Pelicans lose Ajinca for 4-6 weeks with hamstring strain

New Orleans Pelicans center Alexis Ajinca will miss the next four-to-six weeks with a right hamstring strain, the team announced Monday.

Ajinca suffered the injury during a preseason game Saturday. He was pulled from EuroBasket competition in August due to pain in his Achilles, an injury that limited him in the first week of training camp.

It's a tough start to the season for Ajinca, who signed a four-year, $20-million contract this offseason to continue on as Omer Asik's backup. Ajinca's absence could expedite the process of head coach Alvin Gentry experimenting with superstar Anthony Davis at center, and it could mean Kendrick Perkins opens the season as something more than a cheerleader and de facto assistant coach.

The 7-foot Ajinca averaged 6.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 14.1 minutes last season, strong production given his playing time. He shot 55 percent from the floor, including a 48.5 percent mark from beyond 10 feet, making him a nice complement alongside Davis. The Pelicans outscored opponents by 8.9 points per 100 possessions in the 220 minutes the two big men played together, a small but encouraging sample for hybrid units in 2015-16.

The Pelicans open their season Oct. 27, meaning Ajinca's looking at missing at least one week of meaningful action. Should he return closer to the six-week mark, he'd be in line to miss roughly 10 games.