July 18, 2026
Rafael Suanes/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Ariel Hukporti won a title as the New York Knicks' third-string center in his sophomore season.
Lost in the unexpected hysterics of the Sixers' offseason: the organization has made a fairly significant bet on an unproven player stabilizing their backup center position.
Andre Drummond is out; the veteran is a flawed player but could always be trusted to rebound and play within himself. He has been replaced by Ariel Hukporti, signed to a one-year contract worth about $1 million more than his minimum salary. The Sixers signed Hukporti using the majority of their bi-annual exception, leaving too small of a portion to use on any other players and restricting the team from utilizing that exception again next summer.
In addition to Hukporti joining Adem Bona and Johni Broome in a completely volatile grouping of backups for Joel Embiid, the Sixers capped their remaining spending power by signing the 24-year-old, despite him only having 715 NBA minutes under his belt in two seasons with the New York Knicks.
What drew the Sixers to Hukporti? Where does he still need development? The film tells the story:
The sell for Hukporti is rooted in the fact that he has tools at his disposal that most centers do not. Hukporti is a seven-footer listed at 246 pounds and he is a terrific athlete. Hukporti can really move with fluidity for a player his size. While critics of the signing would rightfully point out he shares many weaknesses with Bona, one thing that separates Hukporti is that he is so much bigger and stronger.
That should translate to a stronger presence on the glass; Hukporti, drafted 17 slots after Bona in the 2024 NBA Draft, has been the better rebounder on a per-minute and per-possession basis in two years in the NBA.
Hukporti has a very strong frame, but that is accentuated by his athletic prowess. He is the rare center with legitimate equity as a transition scorer:
There are moments and plays during which Ariel Hukporti's athleticism really stand out. More of those happen in transition than one would expect for a seven-footer: pic.twitter.com/KPUxPjBS6p
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) July 13, 2026
Like Bona, the optimized version of Hukporti can screen and roll hard, providing some vertical spacing as a lob threat. Like the Sixers, the Knicks do not have tons of quality lob-throwers. But Hukporti is certainly capable of going up and getting it, whether he is a roller or camped out inside:
Ariel Hukporti was not a frequent catcher of alley oops with the Knicks, but has more than enough size and athleticism to go up and get lobs, both as a roller and when camped out inside: pic.twitter.com/UdfvargSUx
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) July 13, 2026
Hukporti was largely along for the ride that was the Knicks' championship run. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson made up arguably the league's best center tandem; Hukporti was the emergency third-string option.
In Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals, New York's title-clinching victory, Hukporti came in for a brief spurt in the second half and made one of the most impressive athletic plays imaginable from a center to break up a San Antonio Spurs lob.
Watch Hukporti get out to the perimeter in a hurry to run a shooter off the three-point line, then find a way to recover back to the paint and block the attempted finish of the lob. This is not a normal play for a seven-footer to make:
In an NBA Finals closeout game, Ariel Hukporti makes one of the more athletic plays you will ever see from a seven-footer – getting all the way out to run a shooter off the three-point line, then recovering to the rim to block an alley oop: pic.twitter.com/GLwYqATiRu
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) July 13, 2026
Had the Sixers signed Hukporti to a veteran's minimum contract, it would have seemed far more like the traditional dart throw teams like to take in free agency every now and then. Them dipping into their bi-annual – essentially rendering that exception useless for the next two years – makes this more than a dart throw.
The Sixers clearly believe Hukporti has a real chance to be a quality NBA backup, and his combination of size and movement skills likely spearhead that case.
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"I'm definitely working on it," Hukporti said in his introductory media availability earlier this month when asked if he sees himself becoming a reliable three-point shooter in the NBA. Hukporti has only taken four three-point attempts in his two NBA seasons – one make, three misses – but in six games in the G League last year, he shot 8-for-21 from beyond the arc.
Given Hukporti's questionable touch and lengthy track record of poor marks shooting free throws, the Sixers should certainly not expect Hukporti to develop into a stretch big (Bona might have a better chance of developing some semblance of a reliable three-point stroke). His primary responsibilities on the offensive end of the floor will be limited to screening, rolling and diving, not spacing the floor.
The most glaring trend emerging from a reel of each and every shot attempt of Hukporti's NBA career: he is far and away the most comfortable taking a one-handed push shot, sort of like the one Isaiah Hartenstein has mastered over the years.
While it feels as if Hartenstein's floater is automatic, Hukporti's is far from it. His accuracy comes and goes, but the frequency with which he defaults to the push shot when around the paint but too far away from the basket to dunk is telling. This is the shot Hukporti has the most confidence in:
When he gets the ball in or near the paint and is not close enough to dunk it, Ariel Hukporti frequently defaults to a one-handed push shot.
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) July 13, 2026
Hukporti has not shot particularly well on these in two NBA seasons, but is clearly comfortable taking them. A batch of makes: pic.twitter.com/ZiWuy6X24M
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Bona has been one of the most prolific shot-blockers in the NBA since being drafted. Hukporti is not at that level, which will limit his defensive upside.
But given his wingspan, which nears 7-foot-3, and his leaping ability – plus the fact that he is capable of sliding his feet on the perimeter when needed – Hukporti has had success blocking shots in the NBA. He has averaged 2.1 swats per 36 minutes (2.8 per 100 possessions) in the NBA.
On just five occasions in his NBA career has Hukporti exceeded 22 minutes in a game. That is the sort of inexperience at play here; Hukporti has so many fewer reps under his belt than Bona. But in those five games of surpassing the 22-minute mark, Hukporti's block totals have been as follows: 4, 3, 2, 4, 2.
In 715 NBA minutes, Ariel Hukporti has blocked 2.8 shots per 100 possessions: pic.twitter.com/PyMTiPZb5K
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) July 13, 2026
To what extent can Hukporti sustain strong shot-blocking production as his workload increases? That is one of the key questions he must answer as he joins the Sixers.
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Yes, the Sixers have another backup center with major issues when it comes to staying out of foul trouble. That has been the primary or secondary flaw of Bona's to date, and Hukporti's fouling rates are worse:
| Category | Adem Bona | Ariel Hukporti |
| NBA minutes | 2,139 | 715 |
| Fouls per 36 minutes | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| Fouls per 100 possessions | 6.3 | 6.9 |
The benefit of the doubt can be paid to Hukporti in this respect: given the nature of his role with the Knicks, he has never had any reason to save his fouls. He has always been a short-burst sort of player when involved in New York's rotation, so it was never much of a concern if he picked up a few personals.
That is about to change, particularly on the nights Embiid sits out. As if trying to teach Bona how to avoid unforced errors was not enough work for Sixers head coach Nick Nurse and his staff, they now have another backup big at least as prone to the same miscues. A stunningly high percentage of Hukporti's fouls in the NBA have come in situations in which he was not protecting the rim:
In 715 NBA minutes with the New York Knicks, Ariel Hukporti averaged 6.9 fouls per 100 possessions. But a significant portion of those fouls have come in situations in which he is not protecting the rim: pic.twitter.com/AjSlsyYmiB
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) July 13, 2026
Perhaps the Sixers envision Nurse being able to squeeze 48 minutes out of Bona and Hukporti when Embiid is sidelined – even if that means it is close to a 50/50 split of those minutes because neither player proves capable of shouldering a heavy burden without getting into foul trouble.
Maybe – just maybe – the Sixers are betting on having more consistent availability from Embiid than most would expect.
In any case, there is obvious intrigue when it comes to Hukporti's makeup. But there are many questions, too, as the Sixers enter yet another season with a questionable mix of backup centers.
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