I don't believe former New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is watching every Knicks game at his home, grumbling to himself that, "They would have won that game if I was still in charge," because I don't think he's a madman, but I also couldn't blame him if he watched how the Josh Hart sixth man experiment unfolded and thought... I told you so.
Hart started the season pretty roughly, after new Knicks head coach Mike Brown relegated him to a sixth man role and started Mitchell Robinson in his place — a move that didn't pay dividends. Now back in the starting lineup, Hart is back playing the major minutes and a major role in the Knicks hot streak and run to the NBA Cup championship. It's not the Finals, but it's a great sign regardless, and Hart has been a vital piece of this fun storyline.
Josh Hart is thriving since re-entering Knicks starting lineup
In his 10 starts, Hart is averaging 16.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, looking more like the guy who got some All-Star buzz just a year ago.
I have no problem with Mike Brown experimenting with different lineup combos to start the year; operating things the exact same way his predecessor did would be sort of silly. But I also like that he could quickly admit that his experiment wasn't working and switch back to a system that does work.
Thibs, as we know, loved his starters... A lot. Maybe to a fault. He also did, though, have really good starters, so it made sense why he wanted to give them such an intense workload. In fact, since Hart was inserted back into the starting five, he's playing minutes that resemble his outings under Thibodeau!
Mike Brown is doing things his own way — and it's working fantastically well, as the Knicks took a few weeks but now look like the Eastern Conference power they were expected to be this year. His ability to also realize that Thibodeau had figured a few things out, like Josh Hart in the starting lineup, is a promising development, too.
Experimenting with lineups in October and November is harmless; it lets a coach, especially a new one, figure out what works and what doesn't. We now know that Josh Hart in the starting lineup works — no further changes necessary.