Hart Of The City

This Knicks team is a collective of gifted basketball players who absolutely maximize every ounce of their God-given talent. Hart epitomizes this ethos. It's impossible not to root for this man...

Final Score: Knicks 143 - Kings 120
Record: 30-16

Tomorrow, January 27th, is the one-year anniversary of Julius Randle dislocating his right shoulder in the closing minutes in a victory over the Heat. We didn't know it then, but it was a monumental moment for this era of New York basketball, as that night was the last time Randle would ever wear a Knicks uniform.

OG Anunoby also injured his right elbow during that matchup with Miami, forcing him to miss more than 20 games. The Knicks originally called Anunoby's injury "elbow inflammation" before reclassifying it as "bone spur irritation." Two weeks later, he would undergo surgery on the elbow to remove a loose bone fragment.

Before both OG and Randle were sidelined simultaneously, Josh Hart was enjoying a solid, if unspectacular, second season in New York. He had made just seven spot starts over his first 70+ appearances following the trade from Portland at the deadline in 2023. He'd find ways to contribute on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis and occasionally bust out with big games, but rarely posted noteworthy numbers or spectacular stats.

Up to that point, Hart had played in 418 games in his NBA career and never once posted a triple-double.

In the six weeks prior to that January 27th contest vs. the Heat(a 22-game sample size), Hart averaged 5.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.5 three-pointers in 27.6 minutes, while shooting a putrid 37.1% from the floor and 21.4% from downtown.

As it turned out, that night was a turning point not only in Randle's career, but Hart's as well.

With the Knicks front court decimated by injuries (Mitchell Robinson was also injured), coach Tom Thibodeau had no choice but to insert Hart into the starting lineup and play him an ungodly amount of minutes.

Hart stepped in, stepped up and never looked back.

Over the final 35 games of the 2023-24 regular season, he averaged 12.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 made treys in a league-leading 40 minutes per game. Simply put, the Knicks would not have been able to post the second-best record in the East without a herculean effort from Hart.

Somehow, he took his game to another level in the playoffs. He was arguably the team's MVP in New York's 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). Hart was one of only our players with more than 150 rebounds and more than 50 assists through the first two rounds of the postseason. The other three were Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum.

After the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns this past offseason, there was plenty of debate about whether Thibs would/should bump Hart back to the bench. The coach decided to keep the human energizer in the first five, and Hart has responded with career numbers across the board.

He is currently averaging 14.1 points (on 55.8% shooting), 9.8 boards, 5.7 dimes, 1.5 steals and 1.2 made treys. The only player in NBA history to match or exceed those numbers in each of those categories over an entire season is Jokic.

Over the past calendar year (since entering the Knicks starting lineup), Hart ranks fourth among all NBA players in total rebounds (just ahead of Anthony Davis), 12th in assists (one spot ahead of Chris Paul), 11th in steals (just ahead of Tyrese Haliburton), fourth in triple-doubles (behind Jokic, Doncic and Sabonis), and first in minutes played (ahead of Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum).

As has been the case so often over these past 366 days, Hart was the Knicks most valuable player in Saturday's victory over the Kings, racking up 20 points (8-of-14 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), a season-high 18 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, two blocks, and one 3-pointer in 40 minutes. He's the first player in Knicks franchise history with 20/18/11 and multiple blocks in a single game.

Keep in mind, Hart was listed as questionable due to knee soreness and was considered a game-time decision an hour before tip-off.

After the win, Thibs sang Hart's praises, "It's not only the rebounds. It's whatever the game needed," Thibodeau said. "The hustle, the heart, the toughness. And then getting into the gaps and then making plays. So he's a terrific playmaker, particularly when you're trying to get the ball out of Jalen's hands. He reads the floor well. He reads the game. He doesn't fight the game. So if someone's open, they get the ball. It's real simple. When you play like that, good things come from it."

Speaking with reporters in the locker room, Hart was asked about notching yet another triple-double, "That's a lot of credit to Thomas Thibodeau for putting me in a position to be successful… I think it's always a good combination when you have a coach and player who match each other's craziness. I gotta give [Thibodeau] all the credit for the success I'm having since I've been here."

He probably won't get any All-Star love this season because it's mostly a popularity contest, but I'm not sure there have been 24 better/more impactful players than Hart this season.

"I don't [pay much attention to it]," Hart said when asked about his ASG chances. "I mean, it's cool, and if I was ever able to get to something like that, it would obviously be an honor—but that's not for a guy like me, man."

This Knicks team is a collective of gifted basketball players who absolutely maximize every ounce of their God-given talent. The ever-humble Hart epitomizes that ethos. It's impossible not to root for this man.

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 Jalen Brunson tallied 25 points (9-of-17 from the field and 3-of-3 from the FT stripe), one rebound, 11 assists, one steal, and four 3-pointers in 36 minutes on Saturday. In the fourth quarter, he scored his 5,000th point as a Knick. Per Knicks PR, he is the fastest Knick to reach 5,000 points (190 games), surpassing Bernard King and Carmelo Anthony (191 games).

Brunson and Hart also became the first pair of Knicks teammates to dish 10+ assists in the same game since Latrell Sprewell and Howard Eisley in 2002.

🏀 As a team, the Knicks handed out 40 helpers, their second-highest assist total in a single game this season. New York improved to 17-1 this season in contests in which they have at least 30 assists.

🏀 OG Anunoby was brilliant on both ends in Saturday's victory, amassing 33 points (12-of-18 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), three rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block, and four 3-pointers in 35 minutes.

It was the second straight game in which OG has attempted 18 FGs. He acknowledged after the game that he has made a concerted effort to get more involved on the offensive end.

"I definitely try to be more aggressive," Anunoby told MSG Network. "There was a spell where I wasn't getting touches, wasn't getting shots. And I'm trying to be more aggressive, trying to assert myself more in the game."

🏀 Not to be outdone, the other member of the Wingstop trio, Mikal Bridges, was efficient and effective as well, finishing with 27 points (10-of-15 from the field and 2-of-2 from the stripe), five rebounds, seven assists, and five 3-pointers in 35 minutes.

🏀 Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 18 points and 15 boards in 28 minutes; however, his shooting struggles remain an issue. KAT was 7-of-18 from the floor and missed his only three-point attempt. He is now just 1-of-10 from behind the arc since injuring his right thumb.

🏀 The Knicks needed KAT on the floor for only 28 minutes on Saturday primarily because Precious Achiuwa played well defensively, utilizing his athleticism to keep Domantas Sabonis in check.

🏀 It was only a matter of time before Landry Shamet got hot, and it happened in the first quarter vs. Sacramento. He checked in for OG six minutes into the game, immediately knocked down two three-pointers, and buried another corner trey before the end of the first quarter. Hopefully, Shamet will continue to earn additional minutes in the future. He's been solid defensively; the only thing missing was his jumper.

🏀 Miles McBride was unable to snap out of his mini-slump. He was just 1-of-8 from the floor on Saturday and 0-of-4 from downtown. Since returning from his knee injury on January 10th, Deuce is shooting below 38% from the floor and 25% from three-point territory… Cameron Payne also missed four treys, finishing 0-of-5 from the field vs. the Kings.

🏀 Yes, Thibs should have emptied his bench much sooner than he did. No, there was absolutely no reason for KAT to check back into the game with four minutes remaining in regulation and New York leading 135-113. On his first offensive possession, Towns went tumbling into the photographers on the baseline but, fortunately, didn't appear to get hurt.

🏀 A day after being named a starter in the 2025 All-Star game, the NBA announced Friday that Jalen Brunson is December's NBA Cares Community Assist Award winner.

Over the past two months, Brunson hosted holiday gift-giving events, shopping sprees and fulfilled the wishes of two children from NY-based Make-A-Wish foundations. In addition, Brunson and his Second Round Foundation partnered with DREAM Charter Schools, hosting two Family Dinner and Game Night events for nearly 500 DREAM students and their families. Brunson and the Foundation also purchased 250 winter coats for DREAM students in Harlem and the Bronx.

"I'm humbled and honored to receive the Community Assist Award for the month of December," said Brunson. "The greatest gift the game has given me has been the ability to give back to those in need through the Second Round Foundation. This award further motivates me to serve the communities that mean so much to me and to highlight those who deserve support, regardless of their circumstances."

I've said it once and will say it many more times: Knicks fans are fortunate to root for guys like Brunson and Hart.

🏀 ICYMI: I published a "Trade Deadline Primer" and "Six Potential Trades NY Could Make" column on Thursday and Friday.

🏀 Next Up:
Knicks vs. Memphis Monday night (7:30 tip)

The red-hot Grizzlies have won six straight games to improve to 31-15 on the season. The only teams with more victories are the Cavs, Celtics and Thunder.

In many respects, Memphis is the antithesis of the Knicks. They don't rely heavily on their starters; instead, they use a balanced attack and play at a breakneck pace to pummel opponents into submission. Incredibly, the Grizzlies don't have a single player averaging more than 29 minutes per game this season. They have four different bench players logging more than 20 minutes a night.

Memphis ranks first in the NBA in pace (104.7)—the Knicks rank 25th (97.7).

They say styles make fights. This one should be a good one.