Analyst Reveals Knicks Late Season X-Factor

The New York Knicks may have a certain name to lean on in the coming weeks.

Mar 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) and forward Mikal Bridges (25) reactagainst the LA Clippers in the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are heading into a critical stretch of the NBA season.

With less than 20 games to go on the schedule, the Knicks are inching closer and closer to the end of their regular season campaign and stamping their final seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

But it won't be simple for New York. The roster has been hit with a Jalen Brunson injury at the wrong time, as the All-Star guard will be sidelined for at least the next few weeks.

Players around the board need to step up with a major absence hammering the Knicks' rotation, and in the eyes of The Athletic's Law Murray, that player might be Josh Hart.

"The player who may emerge with even more importance is small forward Josh Hart, who has compiled 5.6 assists and only 2.4 turnovers per game since late January," Murray wrote. "Hart isn’t a shoot-first player, but he does everything else, and he could probably handle more of the playmaking while New York’s other scorers step up in Brunson’s stead."

Hart could inevitably be a prime name to watch in the coming weeks –– one of the Knicks' most reliable contributors to the rotation throughout the season, and could continue to do so now that his responsibility likely elevates.

Hart's had a career year in his third season with the Knicks, averaging 14.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on a career-best 54.5% shooting from the field and a league-leading 37.8 minutes a night.

If the Knicks can get Hart to step up as an effective on-ball creator and offensive threat in place of Brunson, this group could be in great hands while he's out of the mix. However, putting together their typical top-five-ranked offensive unit without the services of one of the top guards in the NBA may still be easier said than done to accomplish.

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