Knicks Have One of NBA's Best Glue Guys

The New York Knicks have a player on the rise.

Mar 4, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) controls the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks have several key pieces on the floor, but none may be more important than Josh Hart.

Hart, 29, plays at a high level on both ends of the floor, and the Knicks look like a very different team when he is on the sidelines.

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley conducted a 2017 NBA Draft redo where Hart went No. 8 to the Knicks.

"Hart slots into a similar glue-guy role as White, only the former doesn't have quite the same versatility or statistics," Buckley writes.

"That did, however, feel a lot more obvious before this season. This year, Hart has rubbed elbows with the best crack-fillers in the business, filling out his stat sheet to include 14.4 points (on a career-high 54.9 percent shooting), 9.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists. For context, only four other players are clearing a 14/9/5 stat line, and two of them are MVPs (Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo)."

"Now, Hart isn't usually this productive—on a related note, he's never played nearly this much (37.7 minutes)—and has some streakiness to his scoring, in part because he's an erratic outside shooter. Still, he's the kind of do-it-all support piece that every contender either has or covets," he continued.

The only players taken before Hart in the redraft exercise were Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, San Antonio Spurs point guard De'Aaron Fox, Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell and Celtics franchise cornerstone Jayson Tatum.

That's some pretty strong company for Hart to be part of, and he could continue to move up on the list if he continues to play like he has been for the Knicks over the past three seasons.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!