The New York Knicks will be without their offseason signing Tim Hardaway Jr. for at least two weeks with a stress injury in his lower left leg, according to ESPN's Ian Begley.

The Michigan standout likely avoided a potential fracture, which can have him on the shelf for up to two months in recovery. Hardaway had been a vital piece for the Knicks, sporting career-high averages of 17.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game through the opening start of the season.

Damyean Dotson had been starting in his place, but the loss of a willing shot-maker could prove devastating for a young team that had just started to get the cylinders rolling in the right direction.

While his timeline of recovery indicates that he could make a comeback before Christmas, stress injuries are a matter of feel and how a player reacts upon his normal workload upon coming back. A stress reaction could be a matter of days or weeks to heal, but if a stress fracture is revealed upon further testing, it becomes a hairline injury, which can complicate matters moving forward.

According to Dr. Wellington Hsu of a top orthopedist at Northwestern University, consulted by Marc Berman of The New York Post, a partial fracture can recover without the need for surgery, but a complete fracture can end Hardaway's season, which is likely why the Knicks have chosen to take a careful route early in the season.