Ariel Hukporti

PROFILE

NBL Blitz- September 2023
By Artau Pascual

Strong start of the season for Ariel Hukporti. The big man has made an impact an early impact thanks to his size and strength in Australia. Hukporti has been aggressive as a pick&roll scorer, playing tough and not being shy of contact. He has also been assertive in transition plays and has exhibited good motor following plays.

On the defensive end, Hukporti has shown a good level of commitment as an inside presence. His tactical awareness is a work in progress and struggles to stay in front of shifty guards in wide spaces. 

Adidas Next Generation Tournament Munich - January 2020
By Albert Robledillo
Hukporti just played one game because of an ankle injury against Madrid, who was supposed to be a great match up against the best team in the tournament after putting on a show against Alba Berlin. His physical tools are out of question: has size, wingspan, strength, athleticism and mobility. But Hukporti also showed a very much improved skillset. Left-hand dominant, is able to create his own shots in the low post thanks to a nice touch; also finishes in transition where he feels really comfortable. The 2/3 in three point shots wasn’t a matter of luck: his release and form are solid and he is already reliable as a long range threat. He was able to show good handles; grabbing the rebound and leading the transition but needs to improve as a decision maker.


FIBA U18 European Championship Division A - August 2019
Hukporti had a solid tournament, making good use inside of his massive body, length and physical attitude. He’s willing to compete inside the paint and uses his body to overpower opposing big men in the paint, finishing strong at the rim. He’s still raw as a low post player: his touch is quite average, he tends to be left hand dominant, often puts his head down and takes slow decisions with the ball in his hands; he prefers situations in which he can get the ball on the move or in which he can just overpower his opponent to get close to the basket. His motor is improving but his intensity level is still quite erratic. He will also need to improve his jump shot, as right now he’s not a scoring threat outside the paint. On defense he has an impact thanks again to his intimidating presence inside, but he’ll have some work to do in terms of lateral mobility.


Basketball Without Borders 2019 - June 2019
Among the top performers in the camp, he was named MVP of the All-Star Game. Physically developed center with very good wingspan, has the wiry body of a pro and doesn’t find much competition at the youth level of competition, from a physical standpoint. Uses well his size, strength and length to finish off power moves inside the paint, pushing back his defender to gain deep position in the pant. Runs the court extremely well and has very good explosiveness when running at full speed and with space. Finishes easily above the rim, had an impressive amount of dunks during the camp. His motor and focus on the court still come and go, particularly on defense where he also needs to improve his lateral quickness and his ability to defend out of the paint.


First Evaluation
Ariel Hukporti is a physical beast and has tremendous upside in basketball terms. His jumping abilities are impressive and his wingspan is also remarkable. Besides his athleticism is a few more on the positive side, his skillset is very raw and his attitude is not the always the best. He barely can put the ball on the floor and his shooting mechanics are poor. Hukporti is lefty and most of his points comes in the paint.

Defensively he has great ceiling, is able to switch in screens and guard perimeter players and has solid instincts as a rim protector. Hukporti has the ability to change a lot of shots and he can be dominant in both boards.

Ariel Hukporti is probably the player with highest ceiling of his class due his athleticism, physical tools and upside in basketball skills.