Josh Hart Might Get the Mikal Bridges Treatment by Knicks in Game 2

The Knicks could reduce Josh Hart's minutes in Game 2. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Knicks wing Josh Hart stuck out like a sore thumb Tuesday night. Although he did make some boxscore contributions, it was clear the team was worse off with him on the floor.

His lack of a three-point stroke in Game 1 allowed the Cavaliers to focus on defending New York's other options, making the half-court offense much more difficult. Eventually, Mike Brown decided to leave Hart on the bench in the fourth quarter in favor of Landry Shamet, who helped the team come back and eventually pull away in overtime.

Given how Brown has been willing to make tweaks to his lineups, it seems Hart might be on the same path Mikal Bridges was on after his rough start to the Atlanta series.

Knicks could reduce Josh Hart's minutes in Game 2 for the good of the team

Against the Hawks, Bridges found some tough sledding early on. Despite seeing over 68 minutes of action in the first two contests, the wing had just 21 total points with a concerning 42.1% from the field to show for it.

Then in Games 3 and 4, Bridges started, but he spent the majority of the time on the bench in a major departure from the norm. His 20 minutes in Game 3, followed by 19 in Game 4, are still his lowest marks of the postseason. This coincided with an uptick in playing time for Miles McBride, who brought a better stroke from deep (8-of-16 on threes) with strong defense.

It wasn't an outright benching, and New York didn't want or need it to be. This was simply to give Bridges a bit of time to reset and focus on the little things while seeing what another player could provide in that time.

After all, Bridges was (and still is) an essential piece of the Knicks' championship hopes, so there was zero incentive to totally tank his confidence with a DNP. He's also thrived since spending more time on the bench, showing this is something players can benefit from.

Now Brown could adopt the same approach with Hart. The blend of rebounding and playmaking he provides is incredibly valuable, so the team doesn't want to lose that entirely. But taking him off the floor when he doesn't match up well with who the Cavaliers have out there is one obvious adjustment to make more quickly on Thursday.

Josh Hart talks about not being on the floor to end last night's game:

"That's always difficult, watching it on the bench. Obviously, I want to be out there. I want to help my guys win, but at the end of the day, for me, I don't have an ego to it. I approach this game with… pic.twitter.com/KGGz8FuB2W

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 20, 2026

Just like with Bridges, New York has a suitable backup option on hand in Shamet. He not only brings great defense and similar size, but is a dangerous three-point threat, which Harts lacks. This forces the Cavs to guard him closely, unclogging the half-court with someone like Jarrett Allen now having to pay serious attention to the perimeter. That, in turn, helps every non-Shamet player get better looks.

Hart absolutely can make an impact from deep, as he shot a career-high 41.3% this season, but with the slimmest margin for error yet in this playoff run, New York can't afford to simply pray if he's the one putting up shots. Rolling with Shamet gives Brown a more reliable shooter who's hung around 40% his entire career.

He's also got it rolling as of late, knocking down an impressive 9-of-12 from three over his last three contests -- that includes making three triples on Tuesday, all of which came in the fourth quarter and OT.

Each series will set up some players well and limit the ceiling of others. With Cleveland liking to run a double-big lineup of Allen and Evan Mobley, this simply isn't the most ideal environment for Hart to thrive compared to wing-heavy opponents. That is manageable, though, with Shamet and Jordan Clarkson providing similar profiles.

The payoff of a tweak like this was made abundantly clear in the final frame of Game 1. Hart could still be deployed when there's just one Cavs center on the floor as well. But his current lackluster form on the perimeter is not something the Knicks can afford to let him work through in real time, as Cleveland looks every bit of an upset threat.