Knicks Coach Likes Backup Centers

The New York Knicks‘ center rotation has been in flux over the past few months.

After Isaiah Hartenstein left in free agency for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mitchell Robinson was expected to step in as the starter at the position. However, when it was announced that New York would not have him until January at the earliest due to an ankle injury, the team began to accept the fact that Jericho Sims and rookie Ariel Hukporti would have to step up.

The Knicks weren’t comfortable with either starting, which is why they acquired Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves just days before the start of training camp. However, head coach Tom Thibodeau is looking forward to having Sims and Hukporti back up Towns.

“I like the versatility that [Jericho Sims and Ariel Hukporti] bring and the physicality,” Thibodeau said. “That’s important. Obviously, you need that depth for a season. We’ll see how it unfolds. Got a long way to go.”

While both of them are expected to get on the court and play some minutes at some point before Robinson returns, the Knicks have two very different players with opposite timelines.

“[Sims] has been in the league a little bit longer and [his] athleticism is very different from most,” Thibodeau said. “Ariel [Hukporti] is a young guy coming in, there’s a defensive component to him already. But he has to learn the offensive part of the game, and that’s coming. But both are very good.”

Sims is in the final year of his contract while Hukporti is a rookie on a two-way deal who may eventually end up with a spot on the roster given the Knicks’ current situation.

Either way, the Knicks have two promising options who can earn their opportunity to make an impact early in the year.

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