New York Knicks forward Josh Hart is already treating this early season games like the playoffs. Despite battling a leg injury that he suffered on Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he put his impact on full display Wednesday against the Miami Heat and was a crucial part of their comeback victory.
Josh Hart was tremendous in the Knicks’ comeback against the Heat
Hart played a team-high 42 minutes and recorded his third straight double-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and made two three-pointers. His impact on the boards was tremendous as he helped turn the Knicks’ defense into offense, especially in the second half, which led to them overcoming a 13-point deficit in the third quarter.
On the season, Hart is averaging 14.5 points and 10.3 rebounds through the first four games of the season, giving a performance that is reminiscent of last year’s postseason in the early part of the season. After initial concerns about his role after a very quiet preseason in which he scored a total of two points, Hart has become one of the team’s most impactful players to begin the season and is doing so while scoring at will.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau raved about Hart’s intensity on the court following the victory on Wednesday:
“That’s what you love about him,” said Thibodeau via SNY. “There’s no other agenda other than winning. Whatever you ask him to do, he’s going to give you everything he has.”
Hart has had to carry a heavy workload early on in the season
Hart’s energy has generated a couple of early-season ailments, as he suffered an ankle issue last Friday against the Indiana Pacers along with the leg injury that forced him to depart the game against the Cavaliers early. Obviously, the Knicks cannot afford to have Hart go on the shelf for an extended period of time as they were already missing a handful of key frontcourt pieces in Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson.
Those injuries to other players are likely why Hart is playing a substantial amount of minutes already. Ideally, the Knicks would want to lessen his workload to keep him healthy, meaning that they will need someone like OG Anunoby to take on a bigger role on both ends of the floor.
Regardless, the Knicks are getting a tremendous spark from Hart to begin the season. The hope is that his phenomenal start will continue when the Knicks take on the Detroit Pistons on the road Friday night.
