One of the New York Knicks' major offseason trades was because of their lack of frontcourt depth. The team lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency a couple of months before, and knew Mitchell Robinson wouldn't be ready for the start of the season after having ankle surgery in May.
The front office ended the question of who would be the starting center shortly before the season began by trading for Karl-Anthony Towns. He joined Precious Achiuwa, Jericho Sims, Ariel Hukporti, and Robinson as the Knicks' centers.
Achiuwa hurt his hamstring in the preseason and missed several weeks, making the KAT trade look even better for New York. Sims had a promising stretch at the start of the season, but his inconsistencies got the best of him again. Hukporti, the Knicks' final pick in the 2024 draft, had flashes that led fans to believe he could one day be part of the rotation.
Unfortunately, Hukporti hit a bump in the road at the end of February. New York was still without Robinson, and the rookie had strung together a few solid outings, leading to his first NBA start against the Sixers. It didn't end as expected, with Hukporti leaving the game with a knee injury.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported the following day that the rookie suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and would miss four to six weeks. He had surgery on Feb. 28.
There's been no significant Ariel Hukporti injury update since he got hurt
It's been a little over five weeks since Hukporti got hurt, and the only thing Tom Thibodeau has said is that the rookie isn't doing much in practice other than individual work.
On Friday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweeted that Jalen Brunson, Cam Payne, and Miles McBride practiced. He added that it sounds like Hukporti won't return for the postseason.
INJURY UPDATES:
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) April 4, 2025
Jalen Brunson, Cam Payne and Miles McBride all participated in practice. Expect Brunson to play either tomorrow in Atlanta or Sunday against the Suns.
Sounds like Ariel Hukporti will not be returning for the playoffs.
The Knicks will play their final regular-season game in nine days and will have several days off before the first round of the playoffs begins. Hukporti hasn't been ruled out for the rest of the season, at least not yet, but fans knew there was a chance he wouldn't return when he got hurt. Knee injuries are tough to come back from.
Hopefully, Hukporti won't deal with any setbacks in his rehab and will be cleared to return before the start of next season if he does miss the playoffs.