Josh Hart’s season began with him questioning his offensive role on the Knicks, even after signing a four-year extension following an impactful midseason trade from Portland in February of 2023.
But Hart’s integral role as a do-it-all wing was absolutely unquestioned as the first round of the playoffs began Saturday with the Knicks defeating the 76ers 111-104 on Saturday night at the Garden.
Hart netted 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, including three key 3-pointers, following a season-long slump from beyond the arc.
“It felt great. The last two games of the regular season, our season series, [Sixers coach Nick Nurse’s] game plan was just to play off me and dare me to make shots,” Hart said. “I knew that as soon as they won it. And I knew it would be the same thing with [Erik Spoelstra] if Miami won it. So that’s something I knew I had to focus on, open shots. Fortunately, I was able to knock them down.”
Hart became an invaluable workhorse for Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks over the final two-plus months of the regular season, with the starting frontcourt of Julius Randle (season-ending shoulder surgery), OG Anunoby (elbow surgery) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) all missing significant time.
The 29-year-old Hart started the final 36 games after Randle and Anunoby first departed the lineup in late January. He averaged 40 minutes per game over the stretch, more than league leader DeMar DeRozan (37.8 per game) logged over 79 appearances for the season.
“At the end of the day, I go out there and I play my game,” said Hart, who added 13 rebounds. “In practice, we were talking about when the ball gets in the middle, guys look at the rim, Jalen [Brunson], OG [Anunoby], me, you just do whatever it is that you do. That’s how I approach the game. I just do what I do.”
Hart, who signed a four-year contract extension worth $81 million over the summer, had said in November that he didn’t “feel included” in the team’s offensive sets as a way of explaining his early struggles from 3-point range.
He had connected on a whopping 51.9 percent from long distance in 25 appearances after his arrival last season, and the Knicks went 18-7 in those games.
Hart never fully rediscovered his outside shot, finishing the year with a career-worst .310 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
But the 6-4 wing emerged as a versatile dynamo filling various categories on the scoresheet over his final 36 appearances, posting 12.0 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
Hart even recorded six triple-doubles after never previously having one during his first six-plus NBA campaigns.
“Some days it’s scoring, some days it’s rebounding, some days it’s playmaking,” Hart said. “I don’t think it gave myself any more confidence, I think it might have given guys on the team, the coaches, more confidence in me playing a different role if I have to.”
Hart, the great-nephew of Yankees legend Elston Howard, had his hair braided into an interlocking NY for the postseason.
He clearly was pumped to start the playoffs with what Thibodeau described as “a monster game,” screaming along with the crowd after his fourth-quarter 3s helped the Knicks seal Game 1.
“I was saying a bunch of stuff. Some expletives. So tell my mom and dad sorry for the language. It was just the passion that I play with,” said Hart, who was 4-for-8 from long distance. “I knew I was going to be left open, disrespected on the 3-point line, and if you base it off numbers in the regular season, I think I shot like 30 percent. So it’s a smart game plan.
“For me, it’s just continue to take shots … and make them respect me.”