New York Knicks' Josh Hart Posts Season-Best Effort After Venting Frustration
The New York Knicks entrusted Josh Hart with larger responsibilities this season, but things hadn't gone according to plan entering Wednesday night.
In his 25 games with the team last season, Hart averaged 10.2 points and seven rebounds and shot an absurd 51 percent from beyond the arc after coming over in a trade deadline deal from Portland. Those numbers dwindled to 7.1 points and shooting 28 percent by the time Charlotte Hornets arrived to close In-Season Tournament group play.
Going into Wednesday's game, Hart, who signed both a player option and four-year extension over the offseason, believed his skill set wasn't fitting into the Knicks system, as reported by Peter Botte of the New York Post.
"I’m more someone who can get in the lane and find guys and stuff like that, and I’m capable of making shots," Hart said. "When you don’t have a rhythm like that or you don’t feel included, it’s just sometimes tough not touching it and having to catch and shoot. So, it’s definitely something I’m working on and hopefully [I will] get in a better rhythm."
Hart scored a season-best 17 points in Tuesday's win
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Wednesday afforded the Knicks (10-7) a flash of the Hart they got to know well last season, as he scored a season-best 17 points and pulled six rebounds en route to a 115-91 win that clinched a spot on the knockout bracket in the ongoing NBA In-Season Tournament.
"Just making quick decisions, I think that was the biggest thing just whether I was open or whether the shooter drove or swung the ball," Hart said of the difference on Wednesday, per Ian Begley of SNY. "(I'm) not trying to be too calculated and just play."
Wednesday's performance was perhaps of no surprise to head coach Tom Thibodeau, who felt that Hart's role in the New York playbook hasn't changed.
"You don't get those shots without people working together to create those shots. He's done a good job of creating them," Thibodeau said. "We don’t want him hesitating. He’s put work in. A lot of them have gone in and out, and I believe in the end he’ll be there."
Hart and the Knicks conclude a four-game homestand against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
