The preseason is finally starting, which means that for the Philadelphia 76ers faithful, they should be able to see what their newly revamped team looks like on the court. That being said, of equal importance is the audition that the coaching staff will be hosting for available rotation spots. One player in particular who will savor that opportunity is Ariel Hukporti, who now stands to vie for the backup center spot in Philly –– a career break he never got from the Knicks.
Right now, the 76ers do not have a firm option as to which player will primarily spell Joel Embiid off the bench. There are a handful of big man on the roster who will be looking to capitalize on the preseason to mount their respective cases, but this very opportunity is what Hukporti will be receiving for the first time in his career.
Ariel Hukporti is set to receive a brand new opportunity from the 76ers
When Hukporti signed a one-year, $3.4 million deal to play in Philly after being a part of the Knicks team that had just won the championship, there were not a lot of expectations for him to be a part of the regular rotation for the 76ers. After all, the team still had some holdovers in the form of Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow, and Jabari Walker, who has more familiarity with the group than him.
Well, that is probably no longer the case. With Bona still recovering from an injury, and both Barlow and Walker being a tad too undersized to be a primary backup center, there is now a strong case for Hukporti to be the go-to option for the coaching staff off the bench to relieve Embiid. If ever, that would be an entirely new experience for the third-year big man.
The Knicks had Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson locking up the center position during Hukporti's stint with the franchise, so there was simply no way for him to have a consistent role save for being an emergency option deep in their bench. Now, he has a chance to be an actual part of the rotation for the 76ers.
If Hukporti becomes successful in locking up the backup center position, the 76ers front office's decision to bring him in will look even more clever. Expectations for him were quite low when he signed with the team, but he has the opportunity to be in a position where people can expect him to be a consistent contributor to a title aspirant.
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