Knicks Prospect Answers Starting Lineup Challenge

Ariel Hukporti Shines with More Minutes

He went much easier on the minute loads than his predecessor once did in limiting his new starting center to 18, and that was the safe call considering Hukporti's lack of mileage. And he impressed over the short stint, snagging five boards with a few hustle plays and the sort of second-chance opportunity creation that the Knicks love.

Even though he can't shoot, he maintains his value on offense as a physical rim-finisher and plays a role well enough to work within the well-spaced Knicks lineups. He's big enough to the point that he'll require a body when he's lingering down low, giving a strong Robinson impression to appease the Knicks fans. It helps that Hukporti has strong vision, dishing one promising pocket pass on the short roll.

"He's so athletic, they have to pull- first of all, if you've got Jalen coming off the pick and roll...the big's got to put a body in front of the ball. That's just good basketball. If you don't pull that weak[side] guy in, it's going to be a dunk...he's got this, like, little runner/floater thing...not quite sure, but it's gone in, so I'm going to keep letting him shoot it," Brown said his spot center postgame.

This may be the Knicks' reality for as long as Robinson needs to fully return to game form, as he's been known to take a few hits over his extensive time in New York. Luckily for the team, Hukporti looks like he's already ready to contribute.

“There may be a stretch of five games where we may sit him,” Brown said in detailing the Knicks’ load management plan with Robinson. "There’s no definition of what load management is. You just go along or myself and the medical team and the front office, we’ll go along as we see fit and we’ll decide if we want to sit him during practice or we want to sit him in a game. It’s as simple as that.”