Tom Thibodeau Is Right, Ariel Hukporti Is ‘Terrific’

The New York Knicks have been a dominant force in NBA headlines for the majority of the offseason. Pulling off two blockbuster trades – for Mikal Bridges and Karl Anthony Towns – that bookended the summer will do that. Plenty of attention has been given to a notable departure as well, with Isaiah Hartenstein leaving for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Hartenstein, while not Towns, was a valuable piece for the Knicks last season. 

He helped them dominate the glass at both ends of the floor, offered elite rim protection, and quality low-post defense which was especially valuable in their first-round series against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, and was a quality roll-man and dribble handoff option. A plus decision-maker for his size with exquisite touch, he was everything you want in a modern center, but Towns is something else – a true stretch-five (there are maybe five of these in the NBA total) who still offers many of the same defensive qualities Hartenstein did. It’s almost impossible to turn down one of the most prized commodities in the NBA like Towns, and the Knicks didn’t. 

These offseason moves have depleted the New York Knicks draft capital and depth (not that the latter ever meant a lot to head coach Tom Thibodeau), leaving them short in one area in particular: backup center. Mitchell Robinson would fill this role, but he’s out until January according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. That leaves Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa, and the 58th and final pick of the 2024 NBA Draft Ariel Hukporti. 

Hukporti signed a two-way contract with the Knicks and in only one preseason game, he might already be forcing the Knicks’ hand on converting it sooner rather than later. In 16 minutes off the bench against the Washington Wizards, Hukporti finished with three steals, four rebounds, and seven points on 3-of-4 shooting. This performance drew praise from Thibodeau, calling Hukporti’s performance, “terrific.”

Hukporti’s impressive start is a welcome surprise for Knicks fans, but for folks who watched him in Australia over the past couple of seasons, it’s not a surprise at all. Playing for Melbourne United, Hukporti performed a lot of the tasks Hartenstein did and at a high level. Starting with his defense, take a look at these clips from last season’s NBL Finals. Hukporti guarded the pick-and-roll and two-man game brilliantly. He was able to lock up Jack McVeigh (who signed a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets) and Will Magnay (arguably the NBL’s best center) at the same time. He switched onto Jordan Crawford and Milton Doyle and clamped them with relative ease too. 

On the other side of the ball, Hukporti is a menace as a lob man and roller. He has soft hands and is an explosive leaper. He will likely feast off of lobs from the likes of Jalen Brunson and Tyler Kolek this season and beyond. 

For Hukporti to earn real rotation minutes with the Knicks this season, he’s got to do the dirty work. He needs to help them control the glass as they have for most of the Thibodeau era, and move baseline to baseline with the efficiency guys like Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby will require. Again, Hukporti has already shown that is exactly the player he wants to be. 

For as good as Hukporti has looked in both Summer League and early preseason action, it’s unlikely he’ll be a playoff rotation player this season if the Knicks are healthy. But it does look like he could already feature in their regular season plans, and secure a guaranteed roster spot relatively quickly. If everything works out perfectly, he could be their backup center solution for the next decade.

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