Knicks ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ Making Roster Case

After a series of wheeling and dealing, the New York Knicks found their center … at least on the back end of the roster.

Obviously, metropolitan interior hype belongs to Karl-Anthony Towns but this preseason has produced some considerable hype at the outer banks of the Knicks’ roster: such excitement comes in the form of Ariel Hukporti, a German born prospect who stands as the NBA’s current answer to the NFL’s Mr. Irrelevant: the final pick of the year’s draft.

The pick used to pick Hukporti (58th of 58 back in June) had quite a journey: it belonged to Boston long before it had a number and was shipped to Charlotte in the Celtics acquiring of Gordon Hayward in 2020. It was moved from Charlotte to Dallas at the trade deadline before the Knicks got it on draft night to close things out.

A combination of financial maneuvering and medical necessity has given Hukporti a realistic chance of landing on the Knicks’ opening night roster and his preseason play has justified his inclusion: mostly working with the reserves, Hukporti has averaged 5.0 points (on 70 percnt shooting) and 3.7 boards, which respectively expand to 12.2 and 9.0 per 36 minutes.

The Knicks’ interior picture is obviously dominated by Towns after an offseason of relative discomfort once it was clear Isaiah Hartenstein wasn’t returning and that Mitchell Robinson would not be ready for game one. The fact that the Knicks’ starting lineup is relatively small and that other options are either disinterested or already gone has given the German-born prospect a unique chance to shine.

“Everything is possible. It doesn’t matter where you get drafted or where you’re from or whatever,” Hukporti said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Everything is way faster, not that many plays, it’s just like give and go, so it was definitely hard for me to adjust to at first. But now I got used to it.”

When it comes to money, the Knicks could convert the contract of Hukporti, currently going two ways between Manhattan and Westchester, to a standard deal in an effort to stay under the NBA’s restrictive second apron.

In any event, Hukporti did leave Knicks fans something to remember him by during Tuesday’s preseason game against Charlotte: off a solid, mobile feed from Cameron Payne, Hukporti put in a loud, one-handed dunk over first-round rookie and draft classmate Tidjane Salaun and despite the defense of former Knick Charlie Brown Jr..

“I jumped and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m mad high,’” Hukporti said of the play, per Bondy. “Let me try it.”

That accounted for two of Hukporti’s eight points on Tuesday, which were paired with five rebounds in a 111-105 victory. Per Denis Gorman of Newsday, head coach Tom Thibodeau called out Hukporti in his postgame statments, remarking that the rookie “played well.”

Hukporti will have one more chance to impress the Knicks’ decision-makers come Friday when New York (4-0) closes the preseason against the Washington Wizards (7 p.m. ET, MSG).

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