The New York Knicks made plenty of noise prior to the 2024-25 season when they caught a big fish in Karl-Anthony Towns. His addition has been pivotal in New York’s success this year, as they sit in the third seed in the Eastern Conference with a 38-20 record.
Although the Knicks are a formidable team, they’re also relatively brittle in the frontcourt. In fact, the Knicks’ fatal flaw that must be fixed after the 2025 NBA All-Star break is their lack of a healthy, serviceable big man to backup Towns.
Ariel Hukporti goes down with another injury
Ariel Hukporti got his first start of his NBA career against the Philadelphia 76ers. Unfortunately, his first start was short-lived after going down with a knee sprain. The 7-foot center finished the game with eight points, two rebounds, and a block in 16 minutes of action before heading to the locker room. Although the Knicks came away with a 110-105 win, losing Hukporti to injury certainly hurts their frontcourt rotation, which has already been depleted.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t Hukporti’s first injury this year. Earlier in the 2024-25 season, he has already missed a couple of games due to an ankle injury.
Moreover, Towns missed the Sixers game, as he’s dealing with patellar tendinopathy. Let’s not forget that the team continues to wait for Mitchell Robinson’s much-awaited return to beef up their frontcourt. In addition to this, New York also traded away Jericho Sims at the trade deadline.
With Hukporti’s injury, this left New York with Precious Achiuwa as the team’s lone center. While his hustle and energy have a place in the team’s rotation in spurts, he’s terribly undersized at 6-foot-8 to matchup against elite big men.
Although Towns is certainly the Knicks’ top center, the team could use a serviceable big man to keep him fresh as they enter the crucial stretch of the regular season. For now, New York could really use any big man who can stay healthy on the court.
Mitchell Robinson’s return
If there’s something that Knicks fans should be excited about, it would be the nearing return of Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks coaching staff has been patient with Robinson’s recovery from an ankle injury, which he suffered in last year’s playoffs. The team waited at least 10 months as they crossed their fingers that he’d be what the doctor ordered for New York.
Standing at 7-foot-0, Robinson has averaged 8.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game across six seasons with the Knicks. While his numbers aren’t going to turn some heads, his defensive presence that transcends the box score would be an immediate boost to a team that’s aiming to go deep in the playoffs.
However, it remains to be seen what kind of shape Robinson will be in once he jumps back into action. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has been branding him as their “starting center” while waiting for the green light to play him.
Although Robinson has proven to be worthy of that starting role, there are valid concerns surrounding his ability to stay healthy. With a long list of injuries in his relatively young career, the Knicks can’t exactly afford to have him suffer another injury at this crucial stretch. In fact, just last year, we all saw how the Knicks’ playoff hopes took a hit when Robinson went down with an injury in the midst of a tough series against the 76ers.
Mo Bamba as a buyout market option
Going into the playoffs with a depleted frontcourt rotation is a recipe for disaster, especially with a stacked Eastern Conference that parades elite big men like Bam Adebayo, Kristaps Porzingis, Myles Turner, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.
In order to ensure that the Knicks have another serviceable big man available, should Robinson fall to injury once more, the team should consider looking into the buyout market. With Mo Bamba available, adding another backup option like him shouldn’t hurt the team.
Although the Knicks may need to cut someone from the team to accommodate the former lottery pick, having a serviceable center available when the injury bug hits could be important in the postseason.
Bamba hasn’t lived up to the college hype, as he’s considered a bust by many. However, the sixth overall pick at the 2018 NBA Draft possesses some size and could be a nice gamble to beef up the frontcourt whenever Towns takes a breather.
By picking up an additional big man like Bamba, New York can show that it has learned from last year’s early playoff exit. While Bamba isn’t an ideal big man, he’s still the best possible option for injury insurance purposes.
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