Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Available for series opener
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Hukporti (knee) is available for Saturday's Game 1 against the Pistons.
The big man will be available for the series opener, although don't expect him to play meaningful minutes in the rotation. With Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson available, Hukporti will be the third-string center in the rotation.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Iffy for Saturday
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Hukporti (knee) is listed as questionable for Saturday's Game 1 against the Pistons.
Hukporti tore his meniscus in his left knee and underwent surgery Feb. 28, though the questionable tag bodes well for the rookie. However, the 23-year-old center's potential return isn't expected to cause any waves in the rotation.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Remains without timeline
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Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau wouldn't commit Friday to Hukporti (knee) returning to action during the playoffs, noting that the rookie center is "a ways away" from being ready to play, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reports.
Hukporti underwent surgery Feb. 28 to address a torn meniscus and has yet to resume basketball activities. While Thibodeau didn't entirely rule Hukporti out from returning for the playoffs, the Knicks may need to make a deep run for the rookie to have a realistic chance at playing again. Hukporti will finish the regular season with averages of 1.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 8.7 minutes per contest over 25 appearances.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Not yet practicing
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Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said Tuesday that Hukporti (knee) isn't doing much in practice other than individual work, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reports.
Hukporti is on the mend from surgery to address a torn meniscus, which he underwent Feb. 28. Though Hukporti hasn't experienced any reported complications in his recovery, the rookie isn't guaranteed to make it back on the court before the end of the regular season. Even when healthy this season, Hukporti has largely been outside of the rotation, appearing in 25 games while averaging 8.7 minutes.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Set to miss time
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Hukporti will miss the next four to six weeks for the Knicks after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Hukporti went down with a left knee injury during Wednesday's win over the 76ers. The 22-year-old big man logged 16 minutes as a starter before being ruled out for the game, finishing with eight points, two rebounds and one block. New York was already thin in the frontcourt while awaiting the return of Mitchell Robinson (ankle), and now, they will have to pivot once again. Precious Achiuwa will likely see more time on the floor for the Knicks.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Early exit Wednesday
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Hukporti has been ruled out for the remainder of Wednesday's game against the 76ers due to a sprained left knee.
Hukporti limped off the court and got his knee wrapped earlier in the contest before returning to action. However, the injury proved to be too much to play through, and he'll watch the remainder of the contest from the sidelines. Hukporti logged eight points (4-5 FG), two rebounds and a block over 16 minutes before exiting. Expect Precious Achiuwa to see plenty of action the rest of the way. Hukporti's next chance to play will come Friday at Memphis.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Starting vs. Philadelphia
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Hukporti is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the 76ers.
The Knicks will be without Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle), so Hukporti is the next man up at center and will get the nod here. This will be the first start of the rookie's career in The Association. He's averaging 1.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 blocks across 8.4 minutes per game in 24 contests off the bench this season.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Logs 17 minutes in OT win
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Hukporti totaled two points (1-1 FG), five rebounds and one block in 17 minutes in Thursday's 113-111 overtime win over the Bulls.
Hukporti hasn't had consistent playing time this season, but with Precious Achiuwa thrust into the starting lineup Thursday, the rookie also saw an uptick in playing time. Achiuwa getting minutes at power forward with OG Anunoby (foot) and Josh Hart (knee) banged up bodes well for Hukporti getting more opportunities, at least until Mitchell Robinson (ankle) makes his season debut.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Logs 19 minutes in win
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Hukporti totaled six points (3-3 FG, 0-1 FT), five rebounds and two assists over 19 minutes during Tuesday's 121-115 victory over the Raptors.
Hukporti played a season-high 19 minutes, seemingly moving ahead of Jericho Sims in the rotation. With Precious Achiuwa playing as the starting power forward, Hukporti slid in as the backup center behind Karl-Anthony Towns. Although Hukporti's production was quite modest, it is something to monitor moving forward given the shallow rotation typically utilized in New York.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Cleared vs. Grizzlies
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Hukporti (illness) is available for Monday's game against Memphis.
Hukporti was added to the injury report as questionable due to illness, but it won't keep him from Monday's action. He's not currently part of the regular rotation, making only three appearances in New York's last 16 matchups.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Iffy for Monday
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Hukporti (illness) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Grizzlies.
Hukporti is still working to recover from the illness that kept him from playing in Saturday's 143-120 win over the Kings. He has seen sparse playing time for the Knicks this season when available, so his potential absence Monday won't affect the team's rotation.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Won't play against Sacramento
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Hukporti (illness) is out for Saturday's game versus the Kings.
Hukporti hasn't been a regular part of the rotation this season, so his absence should go largely unnoticed.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Back with parent club
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New York recalled Hukporti from the G League's Westchester Knicks on Wednesday.
Hukporti will be back with the Knicks to provide added depth in the frontcourt in Wednesday's game against the 76ers, but he's unlikely to see any playing time if the contest is competitive.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Receives garbage-time run
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Hukporti (ankle) played the final 1:50 of Thursday's 133-107 win over the Timberwolves, finishing with one point (1-2 FT) and two rebounds.
Hukporti wasn't available for the Knicks' previous two games with a left ankle sprain, but he was given the green light to play Thursday and ended up seeing the court at the tail end of the blowout win. Though he's now healthy again, Hukporti will remain on the outside of head coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Out Sunday
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Hukporti (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Magic.
As expected, Hukporti has been downgraded from doubtful to out. His absence isn't expected to impact the Knicks' rotation.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Practices with G League squad
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New York recalled Hukporti from the G League's Westchester Knicks on Monday.
Westchester didn't have a game Monday, so Hukporti, Tyler Kolek and Precious Achiuwa joined the G League squad for practice and were recalled afterward. Playing time at the NBA level has been hard to come by for Hukporti, who's played double-digit minutes twice across eight appearances for New York.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Upgraded to two-year contract
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The Knicks converted Hukporti from a two-way contract to a two-year standard NBA contract Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports. The second year of the contract is a team option.
The No. 58 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, Hukporti has appeared in four of the Knicks' first five games of the season, missing his lone field-goal attempt while pulling down seven rebounds and blocking four shots across 29 total minutes. The Knicks had opened the campaign with only 12 players on the 15-man roster, but because league rules require teams to have at least 14 players on standard contracts for no more than 28 days during a season, Hukporti was upgraded from his two-way deal to help fulfill the roster requirement. While the fact that he's been moved off a two-way deal means he won't be restricted to the amount of games in which he can be active for the Knicks, Hukporti still looks to be on the outside looking in for a rotation spot, even while fellow big men Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Precious Achiuwa (hamstring) remain sidelined. Jericho Sims appears to have at least temporarily settled in as the Knicks' preferred backup center behind Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Signs two-way deal with NYK
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The Knicks signed Hukporti to a two-way pact on Monday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
The final pick of the 2024 Draft secured a two-way deal with the Knicks, and he will likely spend most of his time with their G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. Hukporti played overseas with Riesen Ludwigsburg in the German Bundesliga and spent time in the Australian NBL in 2023-24. Across 43 games in both leagues in 2023-24, the 22-year-old averaged 8.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks across 17.7 minutes per game.
