Hukporti Helped Off vs. Knicks, Leaving Sixers' Center Depth in Tatters
The 24-year-old couldn't put weight on his right leg after contesting Towns — and Philly is suddenly down to its last big man standing.
His foot sprain is now the only thing blocking real backup-five minutes.
- Hukporti hurt his right leg in Q1 contesting Towns
- Started with Embiid resting; left under no weight
- Bona (foot), Barlow (back), Fall (hip) all sidelined
- Hukporti: 7.9 fantasy pts/game in 2025-26
- Nurse tried Dean Wade at small-ball five
Ariel Hukporti's big audition lasted about one quarter. Starting Monday with Joel Embiid getting a night off, the 24-year-old went down early in the first after contesting Karl-Anthony Towns, immediately waving to his bench for a timeout. He was helped to the locker room without putting any weight on his right leg — rarely a good sign.
The timing stings for a player who was finally carving out a role. Hukporti signed with Philadelphia on the second day of free agency specifically to fight for backup-big minutes, and he'd been trending up: his 7.9 fantasy points per game in 2025-26 (actual) don't jump off the page, but his last five games before this ran +6.7 above that season average. He'd also impressed in the weekend scrimmage. Then one defensive rotation ended it.
Philly's Frontcourt Is Basically Empty
This isn't just one guy going down — it exposes how thin the Sixers' center cupboard already was. Adem Bona is still working back from a foot sprain, Dominick Barlow is out with a back issue, and Exhibit 10 signee Tacko Fall is nursing a hip strain. With Embiid resting too, Nick Nurse was left starting Jabari Walker as his only true center-sized body and even floated Dean Wade as a small-ball five.
For fantasy purposes, that vacuum is the real story. Barlow carried the most standalone value of the bunch at 19.3 fantasy points per game last season (2025-26), while Wade sat at 16.1 and Bona at 14.7 — all in deep-league territory. None of them is a set-and-forget starter, but a healthy one of them suddenly inherits a workload Philadelphia has no choice but to hand out.
The Fantasy Fallout
Hukporti himself is a drop in almost every format until we get clarity on the leg — a 54-game role player who can't stay on the floor isn't rosterable while everything's uncertain. The more interesting watch is Adem Bona, who ranks #305 overall (#50 at center) in our model but now stands to absorb genuine backup minutes behind Embiid the moment his foot clears. In deep leagues, monitor Bona's return and consider a speculative stash on Barlow; everyone else here is wait-and-see until Nurse's rotation settles.
