The Philadelphia 76ers brought in big man Ariel Hukporti from the open market as some sort of depth insurance at the center position. But with the team having more familiar options to man the role off the bench, not a lot of people are expecting him to be a consistent part of the rotation this coming season. However, that could certainly change if he displays more discipline on both ends as training camp looms.
Right now, most depth charts have third-year big man Adem Bona as the primary backup to Joel Embiid in the upcoming campaign. However, that is far from being set in stone, as the former has had issues when it comes to staying on the floor due to his constant foul trouble and inconsistent play on both ends. That opens up a real lane for Hukporti to steal his spot.
Newcomer Ariel Hukporti has a shot to be the 76ers' main backup center
One thing that has frustrated a lot of people when it comes to Bona is his relentless tendency to commit fouls. To make matters worse, it is not like he just has bad luck when it comes to the referees' whistles. If anything, the calls on him are all merit-based, which means that he is especially not as disciplined as needed.
This past season, the coaching staff tried to install Bona as their main backup to Embiid before eventually settling for veteran big man Andre Drummond in high-stakes games. Bona was far too unreliable and offered little aside from rim protection. But with Drummond gone, the coaches are likely planning to go back to Bona as their main backup center.
Hukporti, however, can definitely change that. First off, Bona is already injured to start the camp, which makes him more vulnerable to getting his candy stolen from him. Second, while both centers have similar skill sets, Hukporti has shown in his limited minutes with the Knicks that he is viable enough as an option in spurts.
The newcomer is not as prolific as Bona when it comes to swatting shots, but he is already better than defending without fouling. If he can be a better finisher and rebounder than the latter, there is a good shot that Nick Nurse ends up going with him eventually to anchor the bench at center.
That would be quite a surprising development, but the 76ers are approaching a championship-or-bust campaign. They are not in the business of waiting for players to have at least passable fundamentals. As such, if Adem Bona remains an easy target for the referees, Ariel Hukporti can snatch his chain and seize the former's expected role for himself.
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