Rookie Center Nearly Shines With Knicks

Ariel Hukporti seemed to become part of the NBA world by scoring his first points as a New York Knick in thunderous style. Sadly for the final pick of of the 2024 NBA Draft, those points vanished as quickly as they came as the Knicks battled the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Hukporti seemed destined for the highlight reels and the professional scoring ledgers after speeding down the lane off a feed from Mikal Bridges and laying down an emphatic two, dunking over Evan Mobley as the Knicks sought to stave off a late Cleveland rally.

Alas for a crowd energized by the slam, Hukporti was charged with an offensive foul, accused of swatting Mobley’s arms away as he went for the dunk. The dramatic double seemingly gave the Knicks a one-possession deficit to deal with but Cleveland instead got the ball back with 4:04 left, continuing the process of completing what became a 110-104 victory.

“(We were) getting a look at someone different to try to change it up,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Hukporti’s entry (h/t New York Basketball on X). “Their bigs are pretty dynamic. So we wanted to see what it looked like … I thought his minutes were solid.”

Hukporti played just under 12 minutes on Monday, pulling in two rebounds and registering a rejection of Mobley during fourth quarter play. Despite his inexperience, he was clearly the top spell option in the interior when Karl-Anthony Towns needed a rest: Hukporti’s minutes more than doubled those of Knicks veteran Jericho Sims, who went only 3:48 in comparison.

Even though Hukporti was erased from the scoresheet, his early progress is nonetheless inspiring: Thibodeau is often regarded as notoriously stingy when it comes to giving his younger talents minutes. The case of 2020 lottery pick Obi Toppin was particularly glaring and it eventually led to his departure to Indiana in the offseason before last.

The fact that the freshman Hukporti was on the floor in a close during the final minutes, however, suggests an intriguing development in the early stages of this Knicks season packed with hope.

Hukporti’s early promotion could be dismissed as a case of necessity: the Knicks already know they’ll be without rebounding stalwarts Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein thanks to their respective moves to Minnesota and Oklahoma City while Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson are each recovering from injuries.

Even so, the fact that he’s earning minutes over a lasting veteran like Sims bodes well for his NBA career, especially in the perilous early stages. Yet another opportunity could open if the Knicks have to deal with an extended lack of Josh Hart, who left Monday’s game early with an ankle injury amidst a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Time will tell if the trends keep pushing in Hukporti’s favor as they return to action on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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