An ode to Josh Hart (and the trade that transfigured a franchise)

Orlando wanted Friday's game played in the mud. Unfortunately for them, Hart is happy in the slop.

Final Score: Knicks 108 - Magic 85
Record: 21-10

If this Knicks team ever finds a way to reach the mountaintop, hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy and take a ride down the Canyon Of Heroes amid ticker-tape and tears, plenty of books will be written about how this club was constructed. And these many tomes will likely focus on the summer of 2024 when the Knicks restructured their roster by pulling off two massive trades to bring in Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, as well as the blockbuster deal with Toronto in which New York swapped RJ and IQ for OG.

However, Leon Rose & Company's first brilliant trade (and arguably most impactful in terms of "culture building") was a lesser publicized swap consummated less than 24 hours before the trade deadline in February 2023. New York sent Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono and a protected first-round draft pick (Kris Murray was later selected) to the Blazers in exchange for Josh Hart.

The move flew under the radar nationally as Kevin Durant being sent from Brooklyn to Phoenix (for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and five first-rounders) dominated most deadline-related discussions/debates.

The first sentence in a New York Post recap of the Hart deal read: "It wasn't a blockbuster," with the column adding it "wasn't a monster move that set Twitter ablaze.”

The Knicks had finished the previous season with a 37-45 record and were just three games above .500 (29-26) at the time of the Hart trade. For that reason, plenty of Knicks fans expressed relief that the pick New York sent to Portland was protected, as they were unsure New York would even qualify for the playoffs. There was also a subset of fans who (although they'll deny it today) thought Reddish was a future star and didn't want to give up that enticing upside for a "role player."

However, Hart made an instantaneous impact off the bench, and the Knicks went immediately on a nine-game winning streak upon his arrival. From February 11th (the day Hart made his Knicks debut) through the end of March, the Knicks bench was, by far, the best in the NBA, outscoring their opponents by 6.3 points per 100 possessions. Remarkably, Hart finished the regular season with the best plus/minus on the team.

New York would qualify for the postseason and advanced to the second round by whipping the Cavs in five games (their first postseason series victory in a decade) before falling to Miami in the Eastern Conference Semis.

Hart began the following season coming off the bench as well and wasn't elevated into the starting lineup until both Julius Randle and OG Anunoby went down with injuries in late January.

Hart cemented himself as an MSG fan-favorite over the following few months as the ultimate glue guy during the Knicks' run to the second seed in the East and the second round of the playoffs. Over the final 35 games of the 2023-34 regular season, he logged a league-leading 40 minutes per game and averaged 12.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 made treys. Simply put, the Knicks would not have been able to register 50 wins and post the second-best record in the conference without a herculean effort from Hart. He finished the season as the first and only player in New York franchise history to tally at least 600 rebounds, 300 assists, 75 steals and 75 three-pointers.

Somehow, Hart took his game to another level in the playoffs. He was arguably the team's MVP in their first-round victory over the Sixers, and he got off to a hot start versus the Pacers before getting injured. Over the first nine games of the 2024 postseason, he averaged 17.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 triples (while shooting above 45% from downtown).

This season, Hart leads the team in FG% and ranks second in rebounds and assists. He is one of only four players in the NBA currently averaging over eight rebounds and five assists while also shooting north of 55% from the field (the other three are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Jokic).

Although the counting stats are impressive, it's the little things he does that don't always show up in the box score (boxing out, talking on defense, hitting clutch 3's, pushing the ball in transition) that win basketball games and engender tremendous love and admiration from the Knicks rabid fanbase.

Friday's victory over Orlando, the team's sixth straight win, was a prime example of why Hart is invaluable. Yes, he stuffed the stat sheet, tallying 23 points (7-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), 13 rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and one 3-pointer in 38 minutes, but that doesn't come close to telling the entire tale.

The shorthanded Magic knew they couldn't simply outscore NY's high-powered offense, so they decided to make Friday's showdown a backyard brawl. It worked for Orlando last weekend when they overcame a 22-point deficit against Miami in the second half to notch a seven-point victory. ​​Two days later, the Magic were down by 15 points to the Celtics at halftime, only to pull off another shocking victory by beating Boston 108-104.

Orlando wanted a Friday's game played in the mud. Unfortunately for them, Hart is happy in the slop. In a game that featured more fouls, trash talk and shoves than pretty three-pointers or uncontested layups, Hart's unmatched motor sparked a second-half run, allowing the Knicks to pull away.

"I like that environment. It's fun," Hart said afterward. "I feel like it suits me. It suits my game."

Hart was all over the court the entire night, and his fingerprints were all over his team's victory. He posted a game-high plus/minus of +23 in 38 minutes.

The Magic scored only 31 points after halftime, the lowest second-half total by any team in 2024-25.

New York made just four 3PT in the contest (the fewest made treys in a game by any team this season) on 15 attempts (also the lowest mark in 2024-25).

When asked about Hart's playing style after the game, Jalen Brunson replied, "The best way to describe Josh is controlled chaos. He figures a way to out-physical, out-tough anybody on the court. That's just who he is. That's just in his DNA."

New York (one of only two teams in the NBA averaging 120+ points per 100 possessions) has proven it can win shootouts. But with Hart, along with Bridges, OG, Deuce, etc., they can also win slugfests.

When the front office overhauled the roster by trading for Bridges and KAT by shipping out Donte DiVincenzo and Randle, many fans feared New York would be unable to play with the toughness and aggression that became a hallmark of the beloved Knicks squad that exceeded expectations last season.

I pushed back against those assertions. For starters, I thought KAT was tougher than his reputation suggested. Ditto for Bridges, who is surprisingly strong despite his lithe frame and competes at a very high level. And, of course, with Brunson still captaining the ship, he'll never let his mates slack off. But, arguably, the biggest reason I had faith the 2024-25 Knicks would still be able to grind out tough wins and bully bullies is that they had Hart (heart pun intended).

As they proved last night, they can out-tough anybody.

Thanks in large part to the unmatched energy and all-out effort supplied by Hart, who hasn't learned he's not supposed to do the things he does at his height.

All of the players in the NBA hooting above 75% at the rim this season are burly centers and seven-foot behemoths, except for Hart, who has converted 77% of his chances.

Here's the leaderboard for the highest FG% on shots within 5 feet of the rim this season among players under 6'8":
1. Josh Hart: 77%
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 68.6%
3. Jimmy Butler: 67.8%
4. Kyrie Irving: 67.6%
5. De'Aaron Fox: 67.2%

Hart is also one of only three qualified players in the last 40 years listed under 6'6" to average more than six rebounds per game for their career. The other two are Russell Westbrook and Jason Kidd.

Although he likely won't ever make an All-Star or get his own shoe deal, Hart's contributions and overall value aren't lost on Knicks fans.

It's no coincidence that the Knicks are 40 games over .500 (101-61) since Hart made his Knicks debut. Only two other teams have won more than 100 games (playoffs and regular season combined) since that date: The Denver Nuggets (who won the 2023 championship) and the Boston Celtics (who won the 2024 title).

If this Knicks squad eventually captures a crown, we'll look back on that deadline deal to acquire Josh Hart as one of the most significant and impactful moves in the franchise's history.

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 Brunson scored a team-high 26 points (11-of-21 FGs, 4-of-6 FTs) and dished out a game-high nine dimes in 37 minutes on Friday. He seems to get extra revved when opponents push him around. That was undoubtedly the case vs. Orlando, and JB got the last laugh.

Oddly, over the Knicks past three games, Brunson is 0-for-12 from downtown and 14-of-21 from the free-throw line. Expect him to re-discover his shooting touch sooner rather than later.