Behind Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers are stocked with two young veterans in Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti.
They know plenty about the former, considering Bona has been on the team since the 2024-2025 NBA season. Over that time, Bona has logged an average of 16.6 minutes in 129 games. Plus, he picked up playing time in 10 playoff games last season.
As for Hukporti, the Sixers and the league don't know much. He's a two-year veteran like Bona, but comes from a loaded New York Knicks team that only rolled him out for 79 games across two seasons. Hukporti had just 9.1 minutes per game over that time.
With Adem Bona currently nursing a foot injury, Hukporti is likely getting the primary backup center action during Sixers training camp. Following day three, the head coach Nick Nurse offered his evaluation of the young center so far. To be honest, it's hard to feel confident in the early assessment.
Why it's hard to love
Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope received a ton of praise from Nurse as the head coach spoke about the bench. He added some comments about what Dean Wade brings to the table from a basketball standpoint, after the 76ers spent a day praising his value as a teammate.
Even the rookie Labaron Philon Jr. received glowing comments from Nurse after day two, which the head coach wanted to remind everybody about. When it came to Hukporti, though, the assessment was short and sweet.
“Huk has been—you know—athletic. Long, and plays really hard. Been awesome to see," the head coach said before moving on.
Nobody should expect to hear about any low effort in practice this early on in the process. Guys are fighting for roster spots and minutes within the primary rotation, so playing hard should be a compliment that every player receives.
The problem here is that Nurse doesn't really dive into what he's seen from Hukporti from a basketball standpoint. If you read 'Rapture' before, this might come off as a red flag. Like any coach would be, Nurse is far more interested in a player's basketball traits and feel for the game. Simply being athletic or physically gifted won't cut it in his world. He spent time diving into what the other reserves bring to the table, but Hukporti was sort of glossed over.
With all that said, Hukporti has time to change that. It's just three days of practice. Soon, the 76ers will fire up a preseason run, giving the ex-Knicks center a chance to show the public what he brings to the table as a potential primary option behind Embiid.
Add us as a preferred source on Google