Josh Hart has no plans to undergo another surgery for the injured finger on his shooting hand. If he keeps playing as poorly as he is now, the New York Knicks should try to change his mind.
The 30-year-old originally revealed at Media Day that he was dealing with an issue on an already-surgically repaired finger, but that he would wear a splint rather than go under the knife again. Then, he suffered a back injury that kept him out for most of the preseason, and on opening night.
Since making his regular-season debut, Hart has been, quite frankly, nightmarishly bad. Many are wondering whether that might push him to get surgery, recover, and then regroup later in the season.
It won’t.
Josh Hart makes his injury stance crystal clear
“For me, there probably will be a process until I get full feeling back, and that hand will be what it is and shooting,” Hart said, via Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “...So yeah, I’m not getting surgery.”
This is an understandable position to assume. Going under the knife for the same injury you already sought to repair is annoying. The Knicks also clearly aren’t as deep as they thought. They can’t necessarily afford to remove bodies from the rotation willy-nilly.
But this all assumes Hart is actively helping the team. Aside from soaking up minutes New York is otherwise ill-equipped to fill, here’s not.
Hart is currently shooting 33.3 percent on twos (3-of-9) and 10 percent from beyond the arc (1-of-10). He has made just one basket away from the rim all season, and isn’t even finishing at a high rate around the hoop (50 percent on six attempts).
All the while, his turnover percentage is up. And more of his squandered possessions being counted as lost-ball mistakes, which suggests the handle isn’t right.
To his credit, Hart brings other additives to the table—most notably rebounding, and a knack for pushing the pace. But his rebounding rate has waxed and waned in the early going, and he grabbed just one board in Friday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. The pace-pushing means only so much when the offense isn’t scoring more efficiently with him on the court.
Should Knicks push for Hart to get surgery, and take time off
Undergoing another surgery would, in theory, give Hart the ability to remedy whatever’s going on with his shooting, and allow him to recover from any lingering issues his back injury is causing. That would be better for the Knicks in the long run.
Sure, Hart’s value has never once been rooted in his shooting or handles. And yes, losing him for an extended period of time when the Knicks’ only other reserve wings are sophomore Pacome Dadiet and rookie Mohamed Diawara would sting. But what’s happening right now is even more painful.
New York has been outscored by 36 points in Hart’s minutes. That is by far and away the worst mark on the team. Even if he doesn’t have surgery, head coach Mike Brown is fast approaching a point in which he may need to consider Hart playing less.
The Knicks aren’t there yet. Hart has nothing if not earned the benefit of the doubt. He deserves time and space to figure out both a new wrinkle in his own game, and New York’s brand-spanking-new offensive system.
If Hart’s health and performance don’t improve soon, though, he and the Knicks need to take a step back, re-assess, and recalibrate. It’ll be an awkward conversation, but that beats the awkwardness of needing to otherwise bench one of your most valuable players for failing to be just that.