Josh Hart Minutes Streak Makes Knicks, NBA History
With injuries eating away at the New York Knicks' starting lineup, guard/forward Josh Hart is logging a lot of miles.
Hart has played at least 40 minutes In each of the Knicks' nine games since the All-Star Break, a streak that continued with 43 on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers. He's the first in franchise history to do that for nine straight since Chris Duhon in 2008 and Knicks numbers expert Tommy Beer noted that Hart is the first NBA player since James Harden in 2015-16 to establish such a streak.
Hart has helped the Knicks at least somewhat keep pace in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff pictures, particularly in the interior, as he's averaging over 11 rebounds during this span. The Villanova alum, locked up for five years over the offseason, also picked up the third triple-double of his career with 19 rebounds, 13 points, and 10 assists in March 3's win in Cleveland, one earned with star teammate and podcast host Jalen Brunson sidelined by an opening-minute injury.
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Hart's de facto promotion can be viewed as a blessing and a curse: the Knicks, floundering without starters like OG Anunoby and Julius Randle, would no doubt have sunken further without Hart, but it would appear that the 2023 deadline acquisition is the latest to "earn" overtime for head coach Tom Thibodeau, who has been accused of relying too much on his starters.
The Knicks are planning on making a playoff push and they will need Hart if they want a chance to make a deep run. Thibodeau, of course, is no stranger to high-profile injuries: Randle, for example, dislocated his shoulder in the final stages of a one-sided win over Miami on Jan. 27 and Derrick Rose's 2010-11 MVP campaign ended in heartbreak when he stuck around for too long in the ensuing postseason opener.
New York, however, will need Hart to play up to his potential if they're going to avoid the Play-In Tournament. New York is only a-game-and-a-half up on seventh-place Indiana entering the week and faces a crucial rematch against sixth-ranked Philadelphia on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
