On the cusp of New York Knicks guard Josh Hart calling out his fellow teammates for having “egos” and “individual agendas”, head coach Tom Thibodeau wants to avoid locker room trouble.
Josh Hart’s ‘egos’ comments were not taken well by Tom Thibodeau
Hart took exception to the Knicks’ recent slide before their 125-119 overtime win over the 76ers on Wednesday. He had called out his teammates for caring more about their individual success as opposed to the team’s.
He did not specify any players in his comments. It was initially brushed off as a joke, but as the losses continued to mount, it became evident that he may not have been joking.
Thibodeau and his Knicks are off to their best 42-game start in over a decade at 27-15, so the last thing he needs is for his team to be at odds with one another. Before Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia, Thibodeau suggested that Hart’s comments should not have been made publicly.
“I think oftentimes the next day after you look at the film, you’re putting a mic in front of someone right after a game. And sometimes they may say things, we all may say things that we wish we had not said until you watch the film the next day. And then there’s usually a pretty good reason why something occurred. So before you say something, you probably should think,” Thibodeau said via Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
The Knicks may have put their egos to the side in a big win over the 76ers
Whether or not any internal conversations between Hart and Thibodeau occurred are unclear, but it seems like they were able to put those comments behind them. Hart recorded a triple-double in the win over the 76ers with 10 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Jalen Brunson helped carry the scoring load with 38 points and four assists. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby bounced back to provide 40 points combined, and Miles McBride and Precious Achiuwa made huge contributions on both ends coming off the bench.
Nearly everybody who played came in and made positive contributions to get the Knicks a much-needed win. It is important to remember that this roster is still building chemistry both on and off the court, and there will be frustrating moments when they look out of sync.
However, the hope is that Wednesday’s victory in Philadelphia will wake up their spirits and start up a new stretch of winning.