Josh Hart will have a big problem if New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown asks him to come off the bench this season…is what this sentence might read like he wasn't prepared to do whatever it takes to win. But he’s a team-first guy, and he made that much clear, in typical Josh Hart fashion, when asked on Media Day about starting.
“If I don’t start, I’ll probably ask for a trade, and go somewhere else,” he joked before immediately entering consummate glue-guy mode. “I think I deserve to be a starter in the league. But at the end of the day, it’s what’s best for the team.”
Anyone concerned that the Knicks would feel obligated to start Hart, or that there’d be drama if they brought him off the bench, can now breathe a sigh of relief. He may still get the opening-tip nod. He also may not. Either way, he sounds genuinely okay with whatever happens.
Josh Hart is being serious about doing what’s best for the team
Just in case you think Hart is belching out vacuous cliches, the rest of his answer is anything but empty player-speak.
“Last year, I talked about sacrifice the whole time, and being a good steward of my gifts, and those kinds of things,” he continued. “It would be extremely selfish for me to go out there, and demand to start. Whatever Mike [Brown] wants to do, or doesn't want to do, I'm cool with.”
This is a refreshing perspective. And it fits the culture the Knicks have instilled inside the locker room—a culture Hart has had a hand in forging.
Jalen Brunson signed the mother of all team-friendly deals last offseason. Mikal Bridges just confirmed that he was actively on board with accepting less than the max in his extension. Karl-Anthony Towns told the assembled reporters on Media Day that he has zero preference who starts alongside him; he just wants to win.
This Knicks team may not be #BuiltDifferent in the literal roster-construction sense. But it’s certainly #WiredDifferent.
The Knicks may have to capitalize on Josh Hart’s selflessness
Hart’s words are particularly encouraging because New York may have already decided to bring him off the pine. Although Mike Brown did not confirm anything, he may have revealed his preferred choice by spotlighting the import of spacing in the starting lineup.
Deuce McBride is the only answer if the Knicks are serious about playing five-out offense. Mitchell Robinson is a total non-shooter, while defenses continue to guard Hart like he’s one, too. McBride promises both more volume, efficiency, and just as critically, gravity from beyond the arc. He more than anyone else can be the finishing piece of a starting five with a truly unguardable offense.
None of which is to say McBride will actually start. The Knicks could tilt toward defense with Robinson, or lean into familiarity and connective passing with Hart. Whatever they decide, though, one thing’s for certain: Josh Hart is ready and willing to support it.