Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Brought back from G League
Rotowire
The Knicks recalled Hukporti from the G League's Westchester Knicks on Monday.
Hukporti will rejoin the parent club ahead of its matchup against the Magic on Monday. With Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) listed as questionable for the contest, Hukporti could be needed in the rotation Monday. The rookie is a member of the Knicks' 15-man roster, though he hasn't appeared in an NBA game since Dec. 19.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Back with parent club
Rotowire
The Knicks recalled Hukporti from the G League's Westchester Knicks on Wednesday.
Hukporti rejoined the Knicks ahead of Wednesday's 119-103 win over the Jazz but didn't receive any playing time after logging 29 minutes earlier in the day in Westchester's 117-114 overtime win over the Indiana Mad Ants.
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Knicks' Ariel Hukporti: Receives garbage-time run
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
