Josh Hart Explains Knicks Struggles

New York Knicks forward Josh Hart believes he knows why the team hasn't played up to its full potential.

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts after a dunk by forward OG Anunoby (8) against Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks have been decent to start the season, but it would be a lie if the team expected to be only 15-10 through 25 games sitting at fourth place in the Eastern Conference in mid-December.

Going into the season, after trading for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks were looked at as the biggest adversary for the Boston Celtics as they competed for a second title in as many years.

However, not only are the Celtics several games ahead of them in the standings, but the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers have better records than them. Knicks forward Josh Hart tried to explain the reasoning behind that in a recent interview.

“Obviously Donte [DiVincenzo] being traded, he was a huge part of our identity," Hart said h/t Posting and Toasting. [Isaiah Hartenstein, who left in free agency] was a huge part of that identity. Just the way they played. They played aggressively. They played great defense. Their energy.

“The biggest thing was when they made plays, it was contagious—you knew. That takes a while to do. It takes a while to know each other and those kind of things. We have to go out there and make that the norm. That’s something last year, we knew like, ‘At times we might not be able to score but at the end of the game we are going to keep it close and we’ll still win.’”

The Knicks need some time to adjust to their new surroundings, and that goes for everyone. The fact that the Knicks have had so much roster turnover and are still a top-four team is something worth celebrating.

Ultimately, the Knicks will figure things out, but it may take a little more than 25 games to do that. Luckily for them, they have 57 more regular-season games to iron out some kinks before the real fun begins.

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