NBA Draft expert lauds Hukporti’s ability

Over his two games at the NBL Blitz so far, Melbourne United Next Star Ariel Hukporti has showcased just why he has been such an intriguing NBA Draft prospect for such a long time.

While his numbers may not immediately jump off the page; 8 points, 6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 20 minutes per game, his ability to get up and down the floor has impressed experts from around the globe.

One such expert is Sam Vecenie, an NBA Draft specialist for The Athletic, who joined the commentary team during United’s win over the Illawarra Hawks on Monday night to talk about Hukporti.

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“In Ariel’s case, you talk to scouts about him and what they love is his ability to get rim to rim,” he explained.

“Just that ability to run the court, the ability to block shots at the basket, to finish above the rim with his length.

“Over the course of his time in Australia I think he’s used (the league) so well even though last season ended so abruptly. 

“The motor is unbelievable, it runs so hot… He loves to play hard, he loves to play with a motor, he goes up with that big left hand all the time and just creates such an impediment at the rim for everybody, he is fantastic as a rim protector.”

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While Hukporti’s performance impressed Vecenie, he was also blown away by United’s defensive ability, predicting that Dean Vickerman’s team would once again be right up there among the league’s best on that end of the floor.

“Can you imagine a more tenacious backcourt than Delly (Matthew Dellavedova) and Shea Ili,” he asked.

“They are going to be miserable to play against for everybody. You add Luke Travers as well. Travers is another guy that’s athletic defensively, covers a lot of ground and really tries to be active defensively with his hands on the perimeter, looking for steals, looking for weak side blocks. 

“This is definitely a team that I’m looking at, I think they could definitely be a top two or three defensive team if not the best defence in the league.”

United will have one more game at the Blitz when they take on the Sydney Kings on Wednesday night from 7:30pm. The game will be streamed live on Kayo Freebies.