Is Knicks' Josh Hart Recruiting Another Villanova Wildcat?
Josh Hart apparently wants to turn every New York Knicks game into a Villanova homecoming.
Though Hart told Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks that he intends to decline his $12.9 million player option on his current New York contract, his willingness to talk about the Knicks' future hints at his desire to re-don blue and orange next season. Hart's vision of what lies ahead, however, seems to partly center on his past, albeit one that involves lifting championship hardware at Madison Square Garden.
Reuniting with Villanova University teammate Jalen Brunson allowed Hart to play a vital role in the Knicks' recent playoff run. It was one that saw the Knicks win their first postseason series in 10 years, which marked Hart's first participation in the NBA Playoffs after 368 regular season games.
Hart appears to be implying that further help from the Main Line is needed if the Knicks want to take the next step in their postseason journey. He's making no secrets, for example, about his desire to reunite with current Golden State Warrior Donte DiVincenzo, another former Wildcat.
Hart's likes on Twitter, for example, include a post from a Knicks content group that asks if DiVincenzo is the "bench shooting option the (team) need(s)," complete with a photo doctored to depict him in a New York uniform.
The February acquisition could also hardly contain his excitement about the idea of a V-branded trio working together in New York in his aforementioned interview with Rooks.
"There are Nova guys that I'm trying to get to NY," Hart said, hardly able to contain his giddiness over the prospect. "(DiVincenzo's) my guy. I was talking to him the other day ... (Brunson and DiVincenzo) are my brothers and I hope we can share the court for a long time and hopefully in the same uniform."
Perhaps little more needs to be said about Hart's lasting friendship with Brunson, one that formed over two shared seasons as Wildcats. The two united to win the 2017 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament at MSG, which came a year after they won the national title. In the year before the latter, Hart won the first of two Big East Tournament MVP awards (one of three to win it twice alongside Peyton Siva and Knicks legend Patrick Ewing) en route to the Wildcats' first MSG triumph in 20 years (as well as the first of five under then-head coach Jay Wright).
DiVincenzo also played two years with Hart and three with Brunson. Though Hart had moved on to the NBA, DiVincenzo teamed up with Brunson to guide Villanova to both the Big East and national titles in their final collegiate collaboration in 2018. The two-time national champion DiVincenzo was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2018 Final Four, notably scoring 31 points off the bench in the title game victory over Michigan.
Having played that title run into first-round round honors at the 2018 NBA Draft (17th overall, 16 picks before Brunson was chosen by Dallas), DiVincenzo spent his first four years with Milwaukee before he was dealt to Sacramento at the 2022 trade deadline. Injuries, primarily an ankle injury sustained during the Bucks' NBA Finals run in 2021, prevented him from making a big impression in a contract year and allowed the Warriors to sign him on a cheap two-year deal worth just over $9.2 million.
But DiVincenzo went on to post one of the best years of his career in Golden State, sinking a career-high 39.7 percent of his triples over 72 appearances (36 starts) this season. Like Hart, he is expected to decline a player option for 2023-24, his worth over $4.7 million.
The Knicks could certainly use further sparks off the bench: beyond Hart (who played 25 games) and Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Immanuel Quickley, no Knicks reserve averaged over 8.4 points a game ... and that mark was held by Cam Reddish, who was dealt to Portland to obtain Hart (along with, ironically, another Villanova alum, Ryan Arcidiacono). DiVincenzo's new personal best from deep also would've been the second-best success rate among the regular shooters, behind only Brunson.
New York probably has to resolve the Hart situation before they start shopping abroad. But if success in the modern NBA truly centers on keeping the talent happy, the Knicks could do far worse than having a homecoming dance 82 times a year.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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