The New York Knicks have been an underrated team for quite a long time now. Nobody expected them last season to reach the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
But they clawed their way near the top of the East with their collective grit behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns‘ brilliance and the defensive chops of Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. Flying under the radar of the Knicks’ top stars is Josh Hart, the team’s glue guy.
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report ranked Hart as the third-most underrated player in the NBA over the last five years.
“Josh Hart receives avalanches of flak for his flaws, the most notorious of which is his high-hesitance, low-efficiency three-point shot. His detractors have a leg to stand on here. This hole in his game allows defenses to fudge matchups, clog the lane and ugly-up his team’s offense.
“Still, the 30-year-old plays with an all-consuming hustle that drives winning,” Favale wrote.
Hart’s Starting Spot Could Hinge on His 3-Point Shot
Getty New York Knicks forward Josh Hart’s spot in the starting lineup is in doubt.
Hart’s 3-point shot is the kink on his armor, hitting no better than 33.3% over his last seasons in New York. But if you get past that, you’ll see Hart as a do-it-all swiss-knife army who is the best 6-5-and-under rebounder in the NBA.
Hart averaged 9.6 rebounds last season to go with 13.6 points, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals. He was so selfless that he asked the Knicks’ recently fired coach Tom Thibodeau to have him come off the bench and start Mitchell Robinson deep in their postseason run.
“It doesn’t matter how many points you score. It doesn’t matter how many minutes you play. It doesn’t matter if you start,” Hart said after the Knicks’ Game 3 win in the Eastern Conference Finals, with him coming off the bench. “It depends on if you win. And at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing for me.”
It was a decision that came a little late as the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the series, which led to Thibodeau’s dismissal.
Knicks Starting 5 Options
With a new coach in town, Hart is not guaranteed to return to his starting spot.
New Knicks coach Mike Brown is known for super-charging the Sacramento Kings‘ offense to the top of the league in his last coaching stop. With the Knicks having the personnel to play a five-man out, Hart’s spot on the starting unit will hinge on his 3-point shot.
The Knicks have added Guerschon Yabusele, who knocked down 38% from the 3-point range last season with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 6-foot-8 Yabusele is a big, burly stretch forward who can add toughness next to Karl-Anthony Towns in the Knicks frontcourt, while Anunoby can slide to the 3-spot and help Bridges fortify their perimeter defense.
If the Knicks go small, they can start Miles McBride, a 36.9% 3-point shooter last season and a defensive pest, next to Brunson with a Towns-Anunoby-Bridges frontcourt.
Brown has optionality, which Thibodeau failed to tap last season, which ultimately decided his fate.
Hart could be one of the league’s most underrated players over the last five years, but if he can’t hit the outside shot consistently, opposing teams will continue to clog the lanes for Brunson to work his magic.
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