82 games make for a long regular season. By the time the NBA Playoffs start each spring, more teams have starters dealing with injuries than not. The New York Knicks, in part because of their award-winning medical staff, and in part due to some good luck, weren't bitten too badly by any injury bugs this postseason.
Josh Hart, however, wound up having an injured finger on each hand. He had long lost feeling in parts of his right hand, and hurt one from his left during the postseason. At media day going into the 2025-26 regular season, the Swiss Army knife said he'd play the year with a splint and revisit surgical options in the offseason. Now, Hart says there essentially are no options — he can keep playing through it, or retire.
When he announced his choice to fans online, there wasn't any doubt or hesitation. Hart simply kicked this particular can down the road, to be addressed again after his playing career is over. It's emblematic of his game, individually, as a positionless player with a high-motor play style that has become synonymous with the concept of "New York grit." It also embodies the exact Knicks identity that viewers grew to love throughout their playoff run; no lead, or amount of adversity, is too great for members of this group to overcome.
The career-high 41.3% 3-point conversion rate Hart delivered in spite of the splint was proof enough that he could handle this particular challenge. The hardware the Knicks earned at the end of the season certainly helps, too.
Hart was one of several Knicks to play through injury en route to a title
"There is no other surgery for me to get besides a joint replacement. If I get a joint replacement, I can’t play with it and my career is over. So it will be wrapped until I retire," Hart wrote on X, still known as Twitter.
Sounds about right, especially for Hart. Head coach Mike Brown placed extra emphasis on both syllables of the word "ugly," his descriptor of choice on Thursday for his starting wing's aforementioned digit. He also credited Hart as a "tough son of a gun," a part of the 30-year-old's identity he likely enjoys.
Hart certainly is tough for playing through this injury. He isn't, however, the only Knick who played through pain on the way to their NBA Championship.
New York lost OG Anunoby for half of their second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Sure, the wing could seemingly have returned earlier — and just didn't need to — but what of Jalen Brunson? The guard missed bits of Game 1 of the NBA Finals with knee and ankle injuries, but closed out the game having scored 30 points on the night.
Mitchell Robinson also hurt himself off the court ahead of that series against the San Antonio Spurs, but didn't miss any games. The sweeps certainly helped with that, buying him time to rest and recover. The group's toughness, though, was still on full display. Hart will continue to embody it as his tenure with the Knicks goes on.
It's easy to understand why fans love Hart so much. He always says the right thing, when he's got his game face on, about wanting to sacrifice and win. And he always puts his money where his mouth — or, in this case, finger — is.
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