Knicks Coach Addresses Josh Hart Criticizing Teammates

Frustration boiled over for Josh Hart after some tough New York Knicks losses.
Dec 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks to guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Dec 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks to guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau hopes one of his finer assets lets his play do the talking.

Thibodeau addressed the recent comments of forward/guard Josh Hart prior to Wednesday's 125-119 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, one that painted a not-so-harmonious picture of the Knicks' locker room: following last week's losses to Orlando and Oklahoma City, Hart chided the team for being too invested in "individual agendas."

Thibodeau seemed to sympathize with Hart's point of view but hoped his multi-faceted threat would use better verbal discretion in the future.

“I think oftentimes the next day after you look at the film, you’re putting a mic in front of someone right after a game," Thibodeau said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. "Sometimes they may say things, we all may say things that we wish we had not said until you watch the film the next day and then there’s usually a pretty good reason why something occurred. So before you say something, you probably should think.”

Despite some apparent frustration with Hart's recurring theme, Thibodeau did not seem to hold Hart's comments against him or hint at any disciplinary action, chalking it up to frustration that inevitably generates over an 82-game NBA season.

"There’s a lot of challenges throughout the course of the season [so we] just stay focused on the daily improvement," Thibodeau said, per Bondy. "Sometimes there’s going to be some frustration."

Such consternation dissipated on Wednesday, which saw the Knicks (27-15) earn another win over the hapless 76ers, their victim in the opening round of last spring's postseason. An overtime session allowed Hart to pad his sterling stats, as he put up 17 rebounds, 12 assists, and 10 points en route to his 11th career triple-double, all of which have been earned in a Knick uniform.

Hart and the Knicks can further distance themselves from the former's observation's with a win on Friday, which would create their first instance of consecutive triumphs in the new calendar year. They'll return to Madison Square Garden to face old friend Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle, whose Minnesota Timberwolves stop by for a visit to open the weekend (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks