A tough break for the Knicks as rookie center Ariel Hukporti is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a torn meniscus in his left knee, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday.
The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the 22-year-old German big man. Hukporti went down during his first-ever NBA start Wednesday night against the 76ers, where he put up 8 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and blocked a shot in 16 minutes.
There’s still hope he could return for the playoff push. If his recovery goes well, Hukporti might be back in uniform by mid-April – just as the regular season wraps up.
That would be huge for the Knicks, who are having a stellar season at 38-20 and sitting pretty as the No. 3 seed in the East.
Hukporti’s journey to the NBA has been interesting. The Mavericks picked him 58th overall in last year’s draft but immediately traded his rights to New York for Melvin Ajinca.
He started on a two-way contract with the Knicks in July before earning a regular NBA deal in November. The team holds a minimum-salary option on him for next season.
While his numbers don’t jump off the page – 1.9 points and 2 rebounds in about 9 minutes per game – Hukporti’s shown flashes of potential. His best game came against Detroit in December, when he went perfect from the field for 9 points.
There might be help on the way for the Knicks’ depleted frontcourt, though. Mitchell Robinson, who hasn’t played all season, has been upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game against Memphis.
The timing could work out well. With Karl-Anthony Towns also missing Wednesday’s game with a sore knee, Robinson’s return would give the Knicks some much-needed size in the paint.
