Josh Hart is the literal heart of the Knicks. It’s not just his name.
I don’t need to regale you on what Hart does well. We’ve seen it over the past three-ish seasons of him in the orange and blue. He hustles, he’s a good secondary playmaker, he’s an exceptional rebounder, etc.
Some fans, though, saw his skillset as replaceable as the team entered the season with a few relative weaknesses, like shoddy big man depth if Mitchell Robinson goes down for an extended period, limited bench scoring, or a backup
wing that can score and defend. Especially after his slow start following an offseason where he had finger surgery, rehabbed a few balky ailments, and suffered a setback on his surgically repaired finger, a loud minority of fans wanted his $20 million salary used in a better way.
Well, it seems like the player who’s the literal definition of a “glue guy” was, in fact, the glue that held the Knicks together. Who knew?
The Knicks are 20-9 with Josh Hart and 5-5 without. His on-offs stand out, as despite the fact that he visually doesn’t look like the most impactful defender, his presence seems to make the team better on that end.
There are reasons for that, of course, beyond Hart himself. He’s a better defender than Jordan Clarkson or Tyler Kolek, who assumed a larger role in his absence. His energy on the boards prevents second opportunities. Point blank, the team plays better with him.
Take last night. The Knicks were floundering since Hart went down on Christmas, losing five of their last six games, some in an uncompetitive fashion. The defense was horrific, to say the least.
Enter Hart, who immediately showed his value to the team.
Teams are continuing to guard him like Ben Simmons to mute the Knicks’ offense. They put centers on him, they sag off him, they try to make him shoot. Last year, it would’ve worked. This year? Hart is shooting 39.8% from deep on four attempts a game. At some point, defenses are going to defend him differently, right?
One of the more underrated aspects of Hart’s game that he provides the Knicks is secondary playmaking. Outside of Jalen Brunson and Tyler Kolek, the Knicks don’t have many capable playmakers on the roster. Karl-Anthony Towns has stepped up the last 2-3 games with his playmaking, but Hart provides a different level. That give-and-go with Towns is an excellent way to get him going, way better than feeding him at the top of the key.
While stats don’t quantify it, the Knicks play faster with Josh Hart. You see a lot more of the Knicks getting out in transition when he plays. He grabs the rebound and immediately has his eyes up to hit OG Anunoby on the outlet. That’s an easy offense that good teams have at their disposal.
Building off his strength at getting out in transition is how good he is at driving to the rim. He shoots 68.2% in the restricted area and 62.4% on layups and can also draw fouls because of his ability to drive hard. Drawing fouls feels important for the Knicks, considering the recent whistle disparity.
The thing about secondary playmaking is having another guy able to read the floor and make a good read. What Brunson has been missing since Hart’s injury was a teammate who could read the floor in a 4-on-3 situation. Here, Brunson gets blitzed, and Hart gets the pass and finds KAT on the perimeter with some separation.
Poke the ball out, dive on the floor to grab it, outlet pass. That’s textbook hustle.
This one was great team defense all around, but these are the kinda plays you only see from guys like Deuce McBride or OG, maybe Mikal Bridges. Unlike some of those, however, Hart is extremely aggressive and embraces taking contact to make a play.
The Blazers were red hot and getting a sparkplug of their own back in Jrue Holiday. The Knicks were ice cold and in the midst of a road trip. They needed heart and hustle badly; they got it in Josh Hart’s return.
