The New York Knicks didn’t trade for a star ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline, but they did make a pretty good move by getting Josh Hart. The 27-year-old has had quite the start in New York alongside his former Villanova teammate Jalen Brunson.
It wasn’t a difficult decision for the Knicks to send Cam Reddish to the Trail Blazers for Hart considering that he hadn’t played in a game for New York since Dec. 3. The Knicks did have to pay the price of a protected first-round pick, which is ironically what the front office sent to the Hawks over a year ago to get Reddish in the first place.
Hart is already proving that he could be part of New York’s long-term plan as he’s expected to receive a new contract during the offseason. As a Knick, he’s averaging 19 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting an absurd 65% from the field and 66.7% from three. His 27-point performance in New York’s win on Monday helped the team beat Brooklyn for the first time since 2020. It’s safe to say that the Knicks faithful already love him.
After New York acquired Hart, fans were already excited about his potential on the defensive end and on the glass, but what they didn’t expect was for him to make an immediate impact as a deep threat on the offensive end. When asked about his 4-of-6 three-point shooting performance against the Nets, Hart said:
Hart was clear this was not a shot at the Blazers, by the way. Said of what he called "the ultimate green light" that "it’s not something that I had before, and I’m not mad about it. I wasn’t frustrated about it. It was just the style that we had in Portland."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 14, 2023
Josh Hart reveals Knicks have given him green light and boosted his confidence
Yes, Knicks fans, this is something that you can thank Tom Thibodeau for. As Josh Hart said, having the green light from Thibodeau to shoot threes has helped to both boost his confidence and get into a rhythm.
New York is No. 26 in the league in three-point percentage at 34.6%, so Hart shooting 6-of-9 from deep in his first two games as a Knick has been a welcome surprise. He’ll likely start to cool off a bit, but he’s proven that he can be a perimeter threat. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Hart inserted in the starting lineup in place of Quentin Grimes, who has struggled with his shot as of late.
Hart is shaping up to be the exact player that New York has been in search of. He isn’t a star, but he’s a needed addition to the roster that will help the Knicks be that much more of a threat once they get the star that they’ve been waiting so long for.
Thank you, Leon and Co. for Josh Hart. He’s right at home in NYC.
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